PRINCETON,  N.J.  ' 


Purchased  by  the  Hammill  Missior.ary  Fund. 


DS  507   .M2  1892 

Mabie,  Henry  Clay,  1847- 

1918. 
In  brightest  Asia 


COPYRIGHTED  I85 
W.  G.  CORTHELI, 
BOSTON. 


Jo  tl?e  Qeptral  Baptist  Ql^urel?, 

MINNEAPOLIS, 

Which  called  me  to  its  pastorate  in  the  avowed  hope  that  it 
might  be  further  incited 

To  World-Wide  Relationships, 

which  loyally  supported  me  in 

Manifold  Aggressive  Missionary  Undertakings, 

and  which  at  length  unselfishly  released  me  to  make  this  tour 
of  mission-fields  and  to  enter  upon  an  undivided 
service  in  the  cause  of 

Evangelizing  the  Whole  Earth, 
these  sketches,  many  of  which  were  written  for  its  comfort, 
are  affectionately  inscribed. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


https://archive.org/details/inbrightestasiaOOnnabi_0 


PREFACE. 

N  May,  1890,  the  writer  of  these  sketches  was  chosen  Home  Secretary 
of  the  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union.  Immediately  thereafter,  it 
was  provided  tliat,  before  entering  upon  official  service  at  home,  he 
should  be  permitted  to  make  a  tour  of  the  mission-fields,  especially  in 
Asia.  This  was  to  be  in  no  sense  a  deputation  for  official  examination 
or  the  exercise  of  authority  in  the  missions;  but  simply  an  errand  of 
friendly  visitation,  for  the  purpose  of  first-hand  observation,  inquiry  and  study 
respecting  the  nature,  difficulties  and  promise  of  the  work,  the  claims  of  which 
the  writer  was  expected  widely  to  advocate.  This  tour  was  begun  in  August, 
1890,  and  completed  in  April,  1891.  The  countries  traversed  in  order  were,  Japan, 
China,  Malaysia,  Burma,  Assam  and  India,  briefly  touching  Egypt,  Palestine,  Italy, 
France  and  England.  About  200  of  our  own  missionaries  were  visited.  The  stay  in 
each  country  was  necessarily  short.  Only  certain  representative  stations  in  any  of 
the  countries  could  be  reached.  Some  of  the  more  important,  including  our  old 
mission  in  Siam,  were  regretfully  passed  by  altogether.  These  sketches  were  written 
mainly  in  the  form  of  letters  to  the  various  home  denominational  papers,  to  family 
friends,  and  to  the  church  of  my  late  charge. 

These  sketches  were  not  intended  to  express  judicial  estimates  on  the  relative 
importance  of  the  various  missions  nor  the  quality  of  work  done  therein.  They  did 
not  attempt  to  discuss  theories  of  missions  or  mission  policies.  Their  aim  was  rather 
to  depict,  in  as  graphic  a  way  as  possible,  some  of  the  characteristic  phenomena 
attending  mission  life  and  work  in  the  various  countries,  with  the  hope  that  readers 
at  home  would  thus  be  quickened  to  think  of  missions  more  as  a  reality.  The  fact 
that  many  of  our  most  devoted  and  skilful  workers  are  not  so  much  as  named  in  these 
pages,  while  others  are  prominently  spoken  of,  is  by  no  means  to  be  construed  as 
indifference  to  the  work  of  any ;  much  less  as  unfriendly  discrimination  against,  or 
disparagement  of  such  work.  The  writer  simply  depicts  fragments  of  the  work  as 
he  saw  them.  As  to  other  portions,  he  is  silent  simply  because  he  did  not  see  them, 
or  had  not  time,  in  the  haste  of  travel,  to  write  of  them.  Others  in  the  past  have 
spoken,  and  in  the  future  will  speak,  of  these  works  and  the  workers  as  they  so  well 
deserve. 


6 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


\\'hat  has  been  written  was  thrown  otl"  amid  the  hurry  of  travel,  and  in  the  heat 
of  interest  awakened  on  the  spots.  For  the  most  part,  the  sketches  here  appear 
substantially  as  they  were  originally  written.  They  claim  to  be  only  glimpses  of 
parts  of  the  work.  Nevertheless,  they  are  glimpses  of  fairly  and  widely  repre- 
sentative parts. 

The  writer  has  chosen  to  entitle  these  sketches  "  In  Brightest  Asia,"  not  because 
there  is  not  much  in  Asia  yet  to  be  seen  of  exceeding  darkness,  but  because  the 
traveller  among  the  missions  of  the  Orient,  if  indeed  he  has  eyes  to  see,  will  find 
that  the  track  along  which  gospel  missionaries  have  passed  and  wrought,  is  an 
illuminated  track.  The  lights  on  the  otherwise  dark  scenes  of  heathenism  are  all 
the  brighter  from  the  contrast.  IMoreover,  this  side  of  Asiatic  life  is  conscientiously 
emphasized  for  the  reason  that,  in  the  belief  of  the  writer,  there  is  usually  but  little 
profit  to  be  drawn  from  dwelling  long  upon  the  dark  side  of  anything.  Tiie  chief 
incitements  to  evangelical  work  are  derived  from  the  positive  hope  of  begetting  the 
"new  man."  rather  than  from  suppressing  the  "old," — from  brooding  over  men, 
in  expectation  of  the  second  Adam  to  be  formed  in  them,  rather  than  from  brooding 
about  the  ruined  product  of  the  first  Adam.  vSo  it  is  believed  that  with  all  we 
are  hearing  in  our  day,  in  mission  literature  and  appeal,  about  "Darkest  Africa," 
"Darkest  England  "  and  "Darkest  India," — and  they  are  not  painted  darker  than 
they  are,  —  it  is  time  that  the  lights,  also,  on  the  deeply  shadowed  pictures  should 
be  newly  pointed  out. 

"  Whatsoever  things  are  true,  whatsoever  things  are  honest,  whatsoever  things 
are  just,  whatsoever  things  are  pure,  whatsoever  things  are  lovely,  whatsoever  things 
are  of  good  rejjort ;  if  there  be  any  virtue,  and  if  there  be  any  praise,  think  on  these 
things."  In  Japan,  China  and  India  the  times  are  at  hand  of  which  the  prophet 
wrote  :  "  The  people  which  sat  in  darkness  saw  great  light,  and  to  them  which  sat 
in  the  egion  and  shadow  of  death,  light  is  sprung  up." 

Boston,  Jan.  io,  1892.  | 


CHAPTER  f.\CB 

I.  —  To  THE  Field.  —  Severinc;  Ties.  —  Denver.  —  Over  Marshall  Pass.  —  The  Great 

American  Desert.  —  The  Sierras.  —  A  San  Francisco  Welcome    ...  9 

II.  —  From  OccinExx  to  Orient.  —  Through  the  "Golden  Gate." — Mid  Pacific. — 

Nearing  Japan  14 

III.  —  In  the  Sunrise  Kingdom.  —  Yokohama.  —  Tokio.  —  Treaty  Revision.  —  Nikko. 

—  Sendai.  —  OtT  for  Kobe.  —  Kioto.  —  Lights  and  Shadows. — Shimonoseki 

and  Chofu.  —  Nagasaki       ..........  19 

IV.  —  A  Buddhist  Doctrine  of  Justification  bv  Faith  40 

V.  —  In  the  Chinese  Empire.  —  Arrival  at  Shanghai.  —  Shanghai  as  a  Base  of 

Operations  .............  43 

VI. —  The  Eastern  Chin.a.  Mission.  —  A  Foot-Boat  Trip.  —  A  Ningpo  Household. 

—  Shaohing.  —  A  Noted  Tomb  .........  52 

VII.  —  Up  the  Yang-tse-Kiaxg.  —  Visit  to  Nanking. — Among  Raw  Celestials. — 

A  Gifted  Missionary.  —  River  Scenery.  —  Hankow  and  Griffith  John  .       .  59 

VIII.  —  Can  the  Chinese  be  Christianized? — An  Aged   Believer.  —  A  Young 

Mandarin.  —  A  Blind  Christian  Boy    ........  67 

IX.  —  The  Western  China   Mission.  —  The  Country  and  Modes  of  Travel. — 

Sz-Chuen  and  the  Mission.  —  Messrs.  Upcraft  and  Warner  .       ...  70 

X. —  The  Southern  China  ^Iission.- — Hongkong.  —  Arrival  at  Swatow.  —  Inland 

on  the  Swatow  Field.  —  Chao-chow-t'u. — A  Quaint  Bridge.  —  The  Hakkas,  75 


s 


///  Brightest  Asia. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XL— Canton  and  Macao.  —  Life  in  Boats.  —  Mission  of  the  .Southern  Baptist  Con- 
vention.—  Macao.  —  The  Tomlo  of  Morrison       ......  87 

XII.  —  Medical  Mission  Work  in  China.  —  The  Claim  Made  for  it.  —  How  it  Works. 

—  Tlie  Present  Status. —  Results        ........  cji 

XIII.  —  Equatorial    Asia.  —  French    China.  —  Singapore.  —  American  Methodist 

Mission.  —  Mohammedanism. —  Penang.  —  Under  the  Southern  Cross. — 
Rangoon  Sighted  g(5 

XIV.  —  On  Burman  Soil.  —  Visit  to  Maulmein.  —  Amherst  and  Mrs.  Judson's  Grave. — 

The  Bassein  Mission. — Tlie  Burman  State  Railway.  —  Mandalay.  —  Ava 
the  Golden.  —  Judson  Memorial  Chapel.  —  Oung-pen-la.  —  A  Karen  Asso- 
ciation.—  Our  Shan  Mission.  —  Pegu  ........  107 

XV.  —  Three  Veterans.  —  Rev.  D.  L.  Brayton.  —  Mrs.  Cephas  Bennett.  —  Mrs. 

E.  A.  Stevens   134 

XVI.  —  India.  —  Calcutta.  —  Europeanized  India.  —  Serampore     .....  138 

XVII.  —  Our  Assam  Mission.  —  The  Garos.  —  The  Plains  People.  —  The  Nagas. — 

A  Meeting  with  the  Brahmo  .Somaj.  —  From  Calcutta  to  Bombay.  —  liombay,  142 

XVIII.  —  On  the  Telugu  Field.  —  The  Deccan.  —  Work  for  Eurasians.  —  Conference 
at  Nellore.  —  Ramapatam.  —  Ongole.  —  Interview  with  Brahmins.  —  Off  to 
Camp  at  Chendalur.  —  Baptizing  Experiences.  —  The  Cumbum  Pentecost. — 
An  Impending  Crisis   152 

XIX.  —  In  Bible  Lands.  —  Arabian  Sea.  —  Red  Sea  and  Mount  Sinai. — Alexandria  

Cairo.  —  Off  for  Jaffa.  —  The  Ride  to  Jerusalem.  —  In  the  Holy  City. — 
View    from    Olivet.  —  Bethany.  —  ISethlehem.  —  Ramleh.  —  The  True 


To  the  Field. 


cnAiTf:R  I. 


Jo   tt?(?  pi(?ld! 


ARITUATED  for  twenty-one  years 
to  the  pastoral  relation,  it  was  no 
easy  tiling    to  sever   tlie  l)oncI. 
However,    many   lines   of  provi- 
dential circumstance,  wide  concurrence  of  the 
judgments  of  the  brethren,  many  promptings 
of  the  Spirit  within,  and  strong  fellowships 
with  the  missionaries  on  the  field  united  to 
indicate  duty;  so  that  at  the  last  there  could 
be  no  good  ground  for  hesitation  to  surrender 
the  charge  of  even  such  a  church  as  the 
Central  of  Minneapolis  for  the  new  relation 
into  which  the  writer  had  been  called. 

As  for  the  church,  for  years  it  had  been 
growing  into  Christ-like  magnanimity.  Why, 
then,  should  it  not  lend  its  pastor  to  the 
Lord,  and  to  the  cause  it  loved?    Both  work 
and  worker  are  still  theirs  in  a  larger  sense.    The  church  has  simply  more  heavily  invested  in 
the  supreme  undertaking  —  the  evangelization  of  the  whole  earth. 

In  pursuance,  then,  of  the  suggestion  and  provision  made  by  certain  large-minded  friends, 
the  writer  of  these  sketches  was  despatched  to  the  fields. 


CENTRAL  C  liriail,   .Ml.WK.UM  JLlS. 


On  a  midsummer  evening  in  August,  1890,  in  the  new  Social  Rooms  of  the  church  above 
mentioned  in  Minneapolis,  was  held  a  farewell  meeting  with  the  departing  pastor  and  a  member 
of  the  church  who  was  to  accompany  him  as  far  as  Japan.  A  large  assemblage  of  friends  was 
gathered.  Graceful  tributes  in  verse,  song  and  address  indicated  the  tender  affection  and  mutual 
interest  which  had  characterized  past  relations.  On  the  morning  following,  the  farewells  in  the 
family  circle  were  said,  and  the  world-round  tour  was  begun. 

Wednesday,  August  13,  found  us  en  route  for  the  Pacific  coast,  booked  to  sail  by  the  "  City 


lO 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


of  Peking,"'  August  23,  for  Yokoliania,  Japan.  The  puqjose  is,  if  the  Lord  will,  to  \'isit  in  turn 
our  stations  in  Japan,  China,  Burma,  Assam  and  India;  thence  homeward  via  Bombay,  Suez, 
Jerusalem,  Beirut,  Italy,  France  and  England,  in  time  for  the  next  May  anniversaries. 

Two  gifted  and  earnest  missionaries  under  appointment  to  Japan,  viz.,  Miss  Mead  of  Minne- 
sota and  Miss  Blunt  of  Kansas  City,  journey  with  us.  They  have  been  missionaries  of  the 
first  water  in  the  home-land.  They  are  proving  themselves  such  all  along  the  way,  —  on  train, 
in  hotel  and  steamer, — ever  reaching  out  in  tender  offices  in  behalf  of  their  Lord;  harbinger 
this  of  good  and  eftective  work  in  Sendai  and  Shimonoseki,  Japan.  Rev.  H.  B.  Waterman 
volunteers  his  companionship,  at  individual  expense.  Besides  tliese.  Brother  Ernest  Gordon, 
son  of  Dr.  A.  J.  Gordon  of  Boston,  is  to  join  us  at  San  Francisco. 

On  our  arrival  at  Denver,  we  found  that  by  kind  arrangement  of  Dr.  Tupper  and  others,  the 
whole  Sabbath  at  the  First  Church  had  been  set  apart  to  us.  The  ladies  held  a  large  meeting  in 
the  afternoon,  at  which  our  two  missionaries  tenderly  rehearsed  their  mission  call  and  conviction. 
Dr.  H.  A.  Tupper,  secretary  of  the  Foreign  Board  of  the  Southern  Convention,  providentially 
present,  pathetically  and  eloquently  responded  on  behalf  of  the  meeting.  The  writer  preached 
in  the  morning,  and  in  the  evening  addressed  a  large  mass  meeting  on  "Missions,"  speaking  of 
their  spirit,  their  fellowships,  their  fascinations  and  their  extension.     A  generous  share  was 

taken  by  the  Denver  brethren  in 
the  expense  account  of  the  secre- 
tary's tour. 

Oui^r  /T\arsl?all  pajj. 

August  19. 
This  has  been  a  day  of  experi- 
ences altogether  siii  generis.  Start- 
ing from  Salida  at  7  a.m.,  the  first 
stretch  of  the  journey  was  the 
ascent  of  the  mountains  —  the  real 
Rockies. 

Our  train  is  divided  into  two 
sections,  each  section  drawn  by  two 
engines,  and  we  start  on  the  ascent 
over  Marshall  Pass.  In  going  about 
twenty  miles,  we  rise  3,000  feet. 
At  first  we  are  under  the  clouds ; 
then  we  are  in  the  midst  of  them ; 


To  the  Fichi. 


II 


at  lenfjth  \vc  rise  above  them,  and  see  them  lolhiit;-  away  aloni;  tlie  sides  of  the  rani^es  opi^ositc 
us.  Our  \va\-  is  tortuous  and  serpentine,  round  and  round  the  lesser  heights,  up  grades  so  steejj 
tiiat  it  reminds  us  of  a  toboggan  shde.  We  dash  through  repeated  snow  sheds,  and  then  enierg» 
ing  from  the  smoke  and  cinders,  we  rise  into  the  purest  and  thinnest  atmosphere.  We  gro\( 
giddy  at  the  sensations  of  the  vast  altitude  ;  and  from  our  perch  on  lofty  ledges,  the  eye  scans 
the  vast  stretches  of  the  Rocky  ranges,  rolling,  tumbling  and  Alp-like,  soaring  still  above  and 
beyond  into  the  illimitable  ether.  We  are  favored  all  day  with  a  glorious  sunshine  which  Hoods 
everything  with  its  own 
radiance,  and  softens  antl 
makes  tender  what  other- 
wise would  be  an  endless 
and  tumultuous  array  of 
awfulness. 

Marshall  Pass  is  fairly 
Alpine,  though  to  our 
surprise  there  is  on  none 
of  the  peaks  at  this  time 
of  the  year  much  snow, 
though  they  rise  to  up- 
wards of  14,000  feet  in 
height. 

At  noon  we  reach  the 
summit ;  and  midway  be- 
tween two  lofty  horns  or 
peaks,  —  Mt.  Ouray  and 
Mt.  Sniffel,  —  our  train  comes  to  a  halt;  and  we  all  rush  out  to  take  in  the  view  Pacificward, 
which  stretches  away  for  100  miles  or  so  westward. 


MT.  OUKAV. 


JJje  Ci'"<?at  /li/rieriQaQ  Desert. 

Leaving  Gunnison,  quite  a  flourishing  town,  ranges  of  hillocks  on  every  side  begin  to  show 
sandy,  gravelly  and  indescribably  barren.  One  would  think  it  never  rained  here.  It  is  a  fit 
region  to  be  traversed  with  camels.  The  sun  is  lurid  over  it  all ;  the  soil,  red  and  ochre  yellow  ; 
the  formations  of  rocks  and  mountains,  weird,  bald  and  awful.  Not  even  will  the  sage  brush  or 
cactus  grow  in  much  of  this  region. 

We  are  threading  a  great  plain  of  desert  through  windings  like  a  ram's  horn.  We  pass  for 
miles  and  miles  between  pillared  cliffs  and  overhanging  banks  of  reddish,  and  at  times,  yellow 
sandstone,  and  greenish,  crumbly  shales,  and  both  betimes  shot  through  with  a  garnet-colored 
trap-rock  or  porphyritic  limestone.    Oh,  so  desolate  and  chaotic  ! 

Now  a  sand  storm  comes  down  upon  us  like  a  simoom,  enveloping  our  train  completelv.  It 


X2 


In  BrigJitcst  Asia. 


sifts  into  our  car,  tilling  eyes,  mouth  and  nostrils.  'J"he  Sahara  could  not  be  a  wilder  waste. 
It  would  seem  the  devil's  country.  Good  old  Father  Raymond  used  to  say:  "The  devil  was 
a  squatter  from  the  beginning  ;  he  never  owned  an  acre  in  God's  earth."  I  think  he  might  have 
claimed  this  region,  with  none  to  dispute  the  claim. 

One  tiling  has  grown  upon  me  all  day ;  viz.,  this  :  That  the  terms  m  which  we  often  hear  our 
big  country  described — and  especially  the  statement  that  the  populations  which  our  great  West 
is  capable  of  sustaining  will  soon  be  myriads  —  are  largely  wild  extravagance.  Some  say,  for 
instance,  that  by  the  year  2000  we  shall  have  600,000,000  of  people  in  the  United  States.  The 
Great  American  Desert  is  still  a  stupendous  fact,  and  will  always  be  a  vast  chasm  in  the  midst 
of  the  North  American  continent. 

5J?e  Sierras.  August  21. 

To-day  we  are  mounting  the  Sierra  Nevada  passes,  following  the  course  of  the  Truckee 
River.  How  refreshing  the  green  of  such  a  valley  after  the  long,  dreary  stretch  of  desert  waste! 
Lumbering  camps  begin  to  appear ;  and  now,  in  the  glowing  afternoon,  as  we  pass  over  to  the 
California  side,  we  are  amid  the  sometime  famous  gold  diggings.  Disused  water  flumes  and 
ditches  are  seen  in  great  frequency.  Vast  yellow  surfaces  on  all  the  mountain-sides  lie  exposed 
where  the  hydraulic  processes  have  washed  down  even  the  everlasting  hills. 

Our  missionary  sisters  have  meanwhile  struck  a  mine  of  rarer  wealth.  A  theatre  troupe  yester- 
day attached  two  coaches  to  our  train.    These  sisters  have  found  their  way  among  the  actresses, 

and  are  laboring  to  dissuade  them 
from  the  allurements  of  such  a 
career,  pointing  them  Christward. 
In  that  deep,  dark  mine,  like 
merchantmen,  they  seek  for  goodly 
pearls.  God  bless  and  reward 
their  search. 

Sap  prapeijeo. 

August  23. 
We  reached  the  city  of  the 
Golden  Gate  on  Thursday  night. 
Good  Dr.  Hartwell,  for  seventeen 
years  a  missionary  in  China,  and 
now  engaged  in  the  best  of  mis- 
sionary work  in  Chinatown,  and 
Mr.  Dorsey  met  us  on  arrival,  and 
quartered  us  at  the  Occidental 
Hotel. 


SAN  FRANCISCO  HARBOR. 


To  the  Jucld. 


13 


Next  (lay  delegations  representing  the  ministers'  meeting  and  the  Women's  Society  of  this 
coast,  called  upon  us,  i)roft"ering  service  of  every  kind,  anticipatory  of  our  sailing  fni  the  morrow. 
We  were  given  a  glimpse  of  heathenism  at  home,  in  a  walk  through  Chinatown. 

In  the  afternoon  and  evening  .special  services  of  welcome  and  farewell  were  held  in  the  First 
Church,  Rev.  J.  Q.  A.  Henry,  pastor.  Dr.  Hartwell  presided.  Misses  Blunt  and  Mead,  in  their 
own  melting  and  spiritual  way,  addressed  us  as  only  outgoing  missionaries  can.  The  writer 
followed  in  a  half-hour  address  on  the  conditions  under  which  so  high  work  can  be  ha])pily  and 
well  undertaken.  The  meeting  of  old  friends,  such  as  Brothers  Abbott,  Rieman  and  others, 
added  pathos  to  all.    To-morrow  at  1.30  o'clock  we  arc  to  sail. 


In  Briislitcst  Asia. 


CHAPTER  II. 

prom  Oeeide^t  to  Orient. 

On  Board  the  "  City  of  Peking,"  August  23. 
I  '    o  AUL  ill  the  gang  pkink!  "    The  moment  has  arrived  when  we  are  to  say  good-by  to 
I^V       native  land.    Captain  Cavarly  is  on  deck  — square-built,  benevolent,  though  firm. 

We  have  some  fifty  saloon  passengers,  and  numberless  Chinese  in  the  steerage. 
Some  of  them,  alas !  being  sent  back  to  China  for  violation  of  the  "  Exclusion  Act." 
We  have  aliout  a  dozen  missionaries  of  various  boards.  A  throng  of  San  Francisco  friends 
o-ather  on  the  wharf.  They  have  filled  our  staterooms  with  flowers  and  fruits.  They  wish  us 
Ion  voyage,  and  sing  farewell  songs.  Many  an  eye  is  moistened  as  our  vessel  .swings  out  into 
the  stream. 

The  song,  "God  be  with  you  till  we  meet  again,"  floats  out  over  the  widening  breach. 
Whether  that  meeting  will  be  on  earth  or  only  in  heaven,  God  knows.    So  long  as  we  can 

recognize  an  outline  of  the  dear 
'■  1     forms   who   wave   their  handker- 

chiefs, we,  too,  stand  and  wave 
responsively.  We  round  the  point, 
pass  through  the  "  Golden  Gate," 
send  back  by  the  pilot  the  hastily 
penned  missives  to  dear  ones  far 
away,  and  our  prow  is  set  towards 
the  Orient  world. 

Mid-Pacific,  August  30. 
Verily,  this  is  "  the  wide,  wide 
sea,"  so  desolate,  so  little  traversed, 
that  since  the  second  day  out,  when 
we  met  several  coasting  vessels  and 
parted  company  with  the  Australian 
steamer  which  left  the  "Golden 
Gate"  with  us,  we  have  not  seen  a 
sail  nor  even  a  porpoise.  We 
shipped  on  the  "City  of  Peking," 
and  frequently  have  we  felicitated 

GOLDEN  GATE. 


Prom  Occident  to  Orient. 


15 


ourselves  on  our  ])rovi(lcnlial  clioice.  The  vessel  has  been  sixteen  years  in  liie  service,  ami  has 
made  sixty-live  trips  between  San  Francisco  and  Hong  Koni;. 

Captain  John  M.  Cavarly  is  tiie  able  and  vigilant  commander.    We  liavc  a  good  taijle  and 
polite  stewards,  all  Japanese  and 
Chinese.  One  could  ask  for  nothing 
better 

The  crew  are  all  Chinamen.  No 
Cunarder  could  muster  more  expert 
seamen ;  everything  on  deck  and 
below  is  managed  with  such  skill 
and  quietness,  that  one  would  sup- 
pose the  vessel  ran  itself.  We  have 
not  heard  a  harsh  command  nor  an 
oath  indulged  in,  except  by  one  or 
two  vulgar  passengers,  since  we 
came  on  board . 

This  is  our  second  Sunday  at 
sea.  We  are  now  nearly  half-way 
across  the  Pacific.  The  weather 
has  been  fine  —  only  one  day  of 
rain ;  no  fog,  and  as  a  rule  daily 
sunshine.  Instead  of  the  cold  of 
the  Atlantic,  we  have  had  no  use  ON  the  "Peking." 

for  heavy  wraps.    This  morning  we 

had  a  religious  service  in  the  social  hall.  I  preached  on  "  That  they  lay  hold  on  the  life  which 
is  life  indeed."    (i  Tim.  vi.  19.)    [Rev.  Ver.] 

Captain  Cavarly  attended,  and  thanked  me  warmly  for  the  sermon.  We  have  found  most 
people  on  board  inclined  to  sneer  at  all  missionaries  and  their  undertakings.  Some  patience  is 
called  for,  and  it  is  important  to  exercise  it  under  such  circumstances.  I  think  some  were  led  this 
morning  to  see  that  there  are  higher  ideas  of  life  than  those  which  some  of  our  fellow-travellers 
represent  —  pleasure  seekers,  traders  with  oriental  houses,  and  shippers  of  Chinese  coolies.  We 
hope  for  less  sneering  during  the  rest  of  the  voyage.  We  had  several  Chinese  and  Japanese  at 
service,  and  they  were  among  our  most  attentive  listeners.  Two  of  these  especially  give  evidence 
of  being  genuine  Christians  —  Lo  Jo,  the  Chinese  boy,  and  Mr.  Abe,  the  Japanese  boy.  The 
latter  I  found  yesterday  in  the  prow  of  the  ship,  flat  down  on  his  stomach,  reading  the  Acts  of 
the  Apostles.  His  shipmates  were  gaming  near  by  him.  Both  these  boys  have  often  joined  us 
at  evening  worship.    The  former  told  us  his  experience  one  evening. 

I  am  just  finishing  reading  Carpenter's  "Self-support  in  Bassein,"  a  book  full  of  informa- 
tion and  wisdom  on  mission  work,  despite  its  severe  criticisms.  He  gives  high  praise  to  Mr. 
Beecher,  and  especially  brings  out  the  great  worth  and  genius  of  E.  L.  Abbott,  a  man  of  whom 
I  had  previously  known  little,  I  am  ashamed  to  say.    The  book  has  deepened  m)-  interest  to 


l6  In  BrigJitcst  Asia. 

see  Burma.  It  has  also  led  me  to  realize  how  very  difficult  is  the  task  of  a  true  foreign 
missionary.    What  nerve  and  grace  and  staying  powers  it  requires ! 

I  am  impressed  that  much  of  our  modern  enthusiasm  among  the  young  people  at  home  is 
superficial,  and  will  reciuire  thorough  chastening.  Perhaps  the  sad  taking-ofF  of  those  "  Indepen- 
dents" to  the  Soudan  has  reference  to  this.  Whole-hearted  as  was  their  devotion,  this  work  is 
unquestionably  the  highest  and  therefore  fraught  with  the  greatest  difficulties  of  any  work  on 
earth.  Yesterday  we  crossed  the  iSoth  parallel  of  longitude  ;  so  we  are  now  in  the  Orient,  and 
dropped  out  Tuesday  from  our  calendar.    We  are  ahead  of  you  at  last. 

f/earir^c^  JapaQ. 

Wednesday  Morning,  September  lo,  6  A.M. 
We  are  just  sailing  up  the  bay,  a  few  miles  out  from  Yokohama.    We  are  up  early  to  see  the 
sun  rise  on  his  own  kingdom.    There  he  comes,  golden  and  regal,  over  yonder  jagged  and 
wonderfully  picturesque  line  of  mountains.    The  whole  coast  on  either  side  is  a  mass  of  islands 


ENOSHIMA. 


and  promontories,  peaked  as  the  edge  of  a  saw,  serpentine,  and  everywhere  appearing  volcanic. 
A  few  trees  stand  like  crests  on  the  summits.  Clouds  of  fog  bank  are  rolling  up  from  the 
interior  bays  and  mountain  valleys.    Fishing-smacks  lie  in  groups  at  intervals  along  the  bay.  It 


P'roDi  OcchicHt  to  Orient. 


'7 


FUJIYAMA. 


seems  rofri-'shinL;,  imk-cd,  to  see  land  anain  after  seventeen  days.  These  shores  mark  Ihc  outHne 
of  the  province  of  Kadzusa.    What  tales  they  could  tell  if  they  could  but  speak  of  al)ori<j;inal  life ! 

A  shout  goes  up  from  our  port  side,  and  our  missionary  };irls  are  running  and  e.xclaiming,  "  Oh, 
there  is  Fujiyama  !  I  have  caught  the  first  view  of  Fuji\  amal*'  —  the  sometimes  snow-crowned, 
conical-shaped  sacred  mount,  the 
Hermon  of  the  empire,  12,000  feet 
high.  It  is  si.xty  miles  away,  and 
not  always  seen  by  any  means  by 
incoming  steamers.  But  from  be- 
ginning to  end  we  have  been 
favored.  The  scjuare-sailed,  junk- 
like boats  of  the  countrv  now 
appear  with  high-turned  prow  and 
stern.  Our  girls  adopt  the  land  at 
sight,  and  are  elated  and  joyful, 
with  song  and  dancing  eyes.  They 
have  just  come  up  from  below, 
where  they  say  they  have  been  giv- 
ing themselves  up  in  fresh  devotion 
to  the  redemption  of  this  "  Land 
of  the  Morning,"'  this  Aurora  of  the  Orient.  Oh,  that  here  the  gospel  indeed  may  ride  Aurora- 
like before  the  dawn  of  divine  illumination  for  sublime  but  idolatry-stricken  old  Asia. 

A  coast  town,  with  little,  low,  tiled  roofs,  now  comes  into  view,  just  nestled  under  the  loveliest 
hills,  on  one  of  which  a  large,  square-built  white  lighthouse  appears.  But  as  Miss  B.  is  suggest- 
ing, there  is  one  sad  lack  :  "  No  church  spire  rises  from  amid  the  village."'  Now  we  are  passing 
a  fishing-boat  in  which  are  three  men  who  forgot  to  put  on  their  clothes  when  they  got  up  this 
morning.  They  look  as  if  they  could  live  in  the  water  about  as  well  as  on  land.  We  are  now- 
passing  the  little  village  of  Uraga,  at  which  Commodore  Perry  first  landed  when  he  was  making  his 
treaty  with  Japan.  Now  we  are  making  fast  to  our  steamer  buoy, —  there  being  no  wharves, — 
and  numberless  boats  of  the  half-naked  natives,  and  several  steam  launches  are  approaching  to 
take  us  off.  Among  the  latter  is  one  from  the  United  States  flag-ship  "  Omaha,""  which  lies  here  ; 
and  Lieutenant  Murdock  steps  on  board,  whom  I  recognize  from  his  reseinblance  to  his  father. 
Five  minutes  later,  and  three  of  our  bright  missionaries,  Brothers  Bearing,  Harrington  and  Ham- 
blen, approach  with  a  steam  launch  to  take  us  off.  A  few  minutes  suffice  to  get  our  baggage 
through  the  customs.  Then  we  each  take  a  jinrikisha,  and  off  our  men  trot  in  a  procession  of 
us  through  the  town  and  up  the  hill  to  the  noble  and  picturescjue  "  Bluff,"  embowered  in  trees,  to 
Miss  Britton"s  missionary  boarding-house,  where  we  soon  find  ourselves  disposed  in  the  most 
comfortable  and  homelike  quarters.  How  strangely  quaint  and  picturesque  everything  is,  as  if 
we  had  landed  on  a  new-  planet ! 

A  scene  of  bewildering  natural  loveliness  spreads  itself  about  on  every  side.  We  are  perched 
on  a  romantic  hillside  terraced  into  the  most  charming  gardens,  sloping  down  to  a  serpentine  strip 


iS 


In  Brighlcst  Asia. 


of  lowhxiul  (in  whicli  fields  of  green  growing  rice  are  standing,  witli  ditches  running  tlirough  and 
through  tlieni.  l>e\  ond  that  are  other  slopes  rising  gradually  and  in  broken  undulations,  traversed 
by  ravines  for  miles  away.  On  these  slopes  are  small  farms  and  gardens,  cultivated  to  the  high- 
est pitch  conceivable.  To  the  right  and  the  left  are  the  other  European  residences,  each  on  its 
beautiful  terrace,  bewitching  with  vistas  and  copses  and  shaded  nooks.  Then  such  varieties  of 
foliage,  shrub  and  jilant  one  who  has  not  been  here  or  in  the  trojjics  cannot  imagine.  It  is  all 
like  enchanted  ground. 

A  number  of  missionaries  are  here,  including  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Ashmore,  so  we  are  by  no  means 
lonesome.  All  are  in  good  health  and  spirits.  There  is  some  cholera,  especially  in  the  western 
parts,  but  wholly  among  the  lower-class  natives.  It  has  not  touched  Europeans,  and  what  there 
is,  is  under  good  control. 


J.A.P.\.\Ei>E  G.\KIJE.\. 


/;/  the  Sitiirisc  Kingdom. 


19 


CIIAI'TKR  III. 


YoKol7ama. 

THIS  is  our  oldest  station.  Ileix-  it  was  that  Dr.  Drown.  Mr.  Poate  and  others  first  began 
Baptist  work.  On  the  fomous  "  BIutT."  a  bold  spur  of  rock  siretching  for  a  mile  or  two 
along  the  southwest  side  of  the  city,  and  completely  embowered  in  the  foliage  of  a  hun- 
dred varieties  of  trees,  in  the  foreign  concession,  reside  our  missionaries  amidst  some 
hundreds  of  other  foreigners.  Mrs.  .Vshmore,  formerly  Brown,  has  a  home  here  ;  so  also  have  Mr. 
Bennett  and  Mr.  C. 
K.  Harrington ;  and 
here  we  found  Mr. 
J.  L.  Dearing,  our 
latest  accession  to 
the  force  in  Yoko- 
hama. Four  sisters 
are  also  here  en- 
gaged in  school 
work  —  Misses  Con- 
verse, Rolman,  Wil- 
son and  Church. 
Our  Theological 
Seminary  is  here, 
under  the  charge  of 
Rev.  A.  A.  Bennett, 
one  of  our  oldest 
missionaries.  He 
was  in  some  sense 
the  successor  to  Dr. 
Nathan  Brown,  es- 
pecially in  educa- 
tional lines.  He  is 
just  now  absent  in 
America,  and  much 

missed,  especially  by  the  writer,  of  whom  he  was  a  classmate  in  the  seminary,  and  who  would 
have  been  glad  to  meet  Brother  Bennett  at  home.    Here,  also,  lives  Kaukatza  san,  our  senior 


GIlvL,^        UIJUI-.  \uK()IlA.MA. 


20 


In  £  riff /it  est  Asia. 


ordained  native  pastor,  wlio  assisted  Dr.  Hrown  through  eleven  years  in  translating  the  Scriptures. 
He  has  rendered  help  in  the  seminary,  and  is  to-day  our  most  valuable  native  preacher  and 
interpreter.  He  was  my  companion  for  an  entire  week  in  my  trip  to  the  North,  and  won  my 
heart  completely. 

The  second  day  after  arrival,  I  was  invited  over  to  the  Ashmores',  where  I  have  been 
staying  until  to-day.  Dr.  Ashmore  has  poured  out  a  flood  of  information  and  wisdom  com- 
bined on  all  the  mission  problems,  and  we  have  had  long  and  profitable  talks.  There  is  a 
vast  amount  of  rainy,  steamy  weather,  which  keeps  one  in  a  constant  vapor  bath ;  but  a 
change  for  cooler  is  expected  at  any  time.  The\'  say  it  never  fails  to  come  about  the  middle 
of  September. 

Last  Sunday  I  attended  my  first  service  in  a  native  church,  and  heard  a  sermon  from  one  of 
the  native  pastors.  It  was  very  touching  to  see  the  little  congregation  of  about  sixty  persons 
engaging  in  the  various  parts  of  the  service.  Every  head  bowed  during  prayer,  all  saying  the 
"Amen  "at  the  close.  All  sang  with  much  earnestness,  giving  absolute  attention  to  the  end; 
no  looking  about ;  and  as  the  minister  concluded,  the  whole  congregation  bowed  as  if  to 
say,  "  Thank  you."  At  4  o'clock  came  the  Sunday  school,  and  in  the  evening  I  went  with  Mr. 
Dearing  to  attend  an  evangelistic  service  just  started  at  the  house  of  his  teacher. 

A  Japanese  house  is  peculiar.  The  whole  front  opens,  by  means  of  sliding  doors,  to  the 
street.  As  you  go  in,  there  is  a  space  of  say  three  feet  wide  stretching  across  the  front  on  the 
ground.  Here  you  are  expected  to  remove  your  shoes  before  climbing  up  on  the  floor,  two  and 
one-half  feet  higher.  This  floor  is  not  of  boards,  but  is  entirely  overlaid  with  mats  of  rice 
straw,  softly  padded  underneath,  and  each  mat  about  three  by  six  feet  in  size,  which  at  night  con- 
stitutes the  mattress  on  which  the  family  sleep.  They  are  so  clean  that  they  must  not  be  soiled, 
and  so  delicately  made  that  the  nails  and  heels  of  our  boots  would  cut  them  out ;  so  we  either  sit 
in  our  stocking  feet,  or  put  on  little  straw  sandals  which  they  furnish  us.  The  people  all  bend 
their  lower  limbs  and  feet  back  under  them,  and  sit  on  them.  They  never  have  chairs,  except 
in  occasional  instances  for  guests. 

When  you  are  seated,  first,  the  woman  of  the  house  and  then  all  the  children  crawl  up  to  you 
and  bow  down  to  the  very  floor  before  you  in  a  salutation.  Of  course  on  this  occasion,  I  rose 
and  bowed  my  lowest,  and  smiled  my  blandest.  When  the  service  began  with  singing,  the  house 
being  open,  a  crowd  gathered  at  once  before  the  door,  some  of  the  people  sitting  on  the  side 
of  the  elevated  floor  within.  Thus  for  half  an  hour  a  large  number  stood  and  listened  to  the 
gospel.  The  text  was  written  on  a  long  white  scroll,  in  Chinese  and  Japanese  characters,  and 
hung  on  the  wall  beside  and  behind  the  preacher,  which  of  itself  was  an  impressive  thing. 

SoKio. 

San  Ju  NI  Bahn,  Tsukiji,  September  20. 
Here  at  the  great  capital  numbering  over  i  ,000,000  souls,  we  have  three  male  missionaries 
and  their  wives  ;  viz.  Brethren  F.  G.  Harrington,  G.  W.  Taft  and  J.  C.  Brand.    Brother  Fisher 
is  about  returning  from  America.     These  are  all  diligently  working  at  the  language,  and. 


In  I  lie  Sunrise  Kingdoin. 


2t 


tliii)uu;h  native  assistants,  coming  into  such  evanL;elistic  relation  to  the  people  at  the  several 
preaching-stations  as  they  are  able.  Here  also  Miss  Kidder  and  Miss  Clagett  are  at  work  in  the 
girls'  school,  one  of  the  very  brightest  spots  to  be  seen  in  our  Japan  work.  Christian  training  is 
telling  here;  and  indirectly,  men,  as  well  as  women,  are  being  constantly  reached  and  renewed 
by  the  gospel's  power,  as  brought  to  them  through  the  tact  and  indefatigable  zeal  of  the.se  con- 
secrated women.  They  reminded  us  of  Paul's  frequent  allusions  to  "  those  other  women,  help- 
ers in  the  Lord."  In  the  njar  neigliborhood  of  this  school,  we  s.iw  the  chief  activities  among 
the  native  churches.  Here  we  partook  with  some  of  them  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  Here  we 
.saw  three  generations  of  believers,  including  sever.il  preachers  and  Bible-women,  in  a  single 
family.  But  Tokio  is  just  now  seething  with  political  e-xcitem^nt.  Here  congregate  the  thou- 
sands of  student  youths  of  Japan,  often  but  a  synonym  for  conceited  rowdies  who,  under  the 
name  of  Sos/iii,  seek  to  browbeat  the  government  and  intimidate  the  populace.  The  prejudice 
against  foreigners  runs  very  high.  There  is  frequent  violence  used  against  them.  Mission 
movements  just  now  have  to  proceed  on  very  cautious  lines,  and  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that 
many  of  our  workers  feel  depressed.  We  have  had  the  cheering  experience,  together  with 
Brother  and  .Sister  Brand,  of  examining  four  candidates,  whom  we  received  and  baptized  on  the 
following  Sunday  evening.  Their  convictions  proved  surprisingly  clear  and  their  testimony 
emphatic. 

Our  Baptist  workers  are  among  the  youngest  really  to  begin  operations  on  this  field.  They 
are  diligently  acquiring  the  language,  familiarizing  themselves  with  the  habits  of  the  people, 
providing  mission-houses  in  which  they  can  safely  and  suitably  dwell,  and  opening  preaching 
and  teaching  stations,  where  converts  may  hz  gathered  and  trained.  We  have  attended  several 
of  the  native  services  on  the  Sabbath  and  week  nights,  and  been  touched  by  the  close  attention 
and  reverence  of  the  hearers,  by  the  heartiness  of  the  singing,  and  by  the  earnestness  with 
which  the  native  preachers  have  pressed  home  the  claims  of  Christ.  The  frequent  gatherings 
with  the  missionaries  for  special  prayer  and  Scripture  incitement  to  a  more  aggressive  evangel- 
ism in  which  the  Spirit's  power  may  be  expected  and  evinced  have  proved  refreshing  and  inspiring 
to  us  all.  It  strikes  us  that  generally  in  Japan,  there  has  been  far  too  much  of  reliance  upon 
the  outward  visible  tendencies  of  the  Japanese  to  adopt  Western  civilization  in  the  husk.  The 
time  of  testing  is  at  hand,  and  the  church  of  God  in  Japan  will  be  brought  to  its  knees  ;  much 
of  misdirection  in  method  will  be  confessed,  the  Holy  Spirit  will  be  more  mightily  invoked,  and 
divine  influence  will  show  its  old-time  reality  and  power. 

If  any  have  adopted  Japan  as  a  sort  of  easy-going  mission-field,  they  will  be  disabused  of  the 
delusion,  clarified  by  the  discipline  imminent,  and  rise  to  truer  mission  work.  The  talk  about  / 
"The  immediate  Christianization  of  Japan"  has  about  ceased.  The  carnal  heart  maybe  illu- 
sively polite  among  these  Frenchmen  of  the  East ;  but  for  its  subduing  and  renewal,  it  will  require 
the  same  almighty  grace  that  has  always  been  required  to  operate  eftectually  upon  the  citadel  of 
Mansoul  an_\  where.    Alighty  prayer  only  can  bring  it. 

I  have  done  a  deal  of  sight-seeing  in  and  about  Tokio,  staying  at  the  Brands',  most  earnest, 
spiritual  and  aggressive  evangelistic  people.  Mrs.  Brand  was  formerly  Miss  Sands,  and,  having 
been  long  in  the  country  and  skilled  in  the  language,  is  wonderfully  well  informed.    Mr.  Brand, 


22 


In  lirigiitcst  Asia. 


while  studying  hard  oi\  the  language,  has  gathered  about  him  sev'eral  native  workers,  and  is 
plunging  right  into  evangelizing  through  interpreters. 

This  is  so  different  a  world  from  anything  we  have  known  !  Think  of  3,000  Buddhist  and 
Shinto  temples  in  Tokio  alone!  The  craze  for  education,  secular  and  European,  as  yet  is  almost 
wholly  inimical,  in  the  judgment  of  some,  to  mission  work.  Tlie  Japanese  who  are  partly 
educated  have  grown  correspondingly  conceited  and  arrogant,  and  are  fairly  crowding  their 
former  teachers  out  of  their  positions. 

To  look  at  the  great  public  buildings,  banks,  railway  stations,  government  institutions,  etc.. 


r,i;A\I)   AM)  ASSISTANTS. 


you  might  think  yourself  in  Europe  ;  but  then  again,  when  you  go  through  the  streets  swarming 
with  half-naked,  hatless  natives,  upon  whom  elements  of  Western  civilization  have  been  thrust 
uninvited  by  them,  you  have  a  mongrel  combination.  They  are  heathen  still,  and  in  gross 
darkness. 


BELL  TOWER. 


24 


III  Jiri oldest  Asia. 


Sreaty  I^euisior^. 

The  air,  politically  speaking,  is  full  of  liv.Uy  rc\isiou.  It  is  the  irrepressible  conflict,  and 
well  it  may  he.  The  first  treaties,  made,  not  as  is  commonly  said  by  Commodore  Perry,  but  by 
our  first  United  States  minister,  Townsend  Harris,  five  years  after  Perry  opened  the  port  at 
Yokohama,  were  in  important  particulars  in  their  inception  a  blunder;  and  upon  that  blunder  as 
a  basis,  Lord  Elgin  and  representatives  of  the  other  powers  followed  in  a  species  of  crafty 
diplomacy  which  ever  since  has  proved  —  and  more  and  more  as  time  has  elapsed  —  that  we 
really  closed  Japan  in  the  very  act  of  opening  it. 

Undoubtedly  Minister  Harris  designed  to  deal  fairly  with  Japan ;  but  by  grave  oversight, 
which  till  his  death  he  never  ceased  to  deplore,  there  were  points  in  his  treaty  which  unwitting]}- 
did  Japan  serious  wrong,  and  which  he  sought  too  late  to  remedy.    Thus  our  treaty,  the  first 


PLACE  OF  COMMODORE  PERRY'S  LANDING. 


made  with  Japan,  with  all  its  wrongs  to  Japan  expanded,  so  as  to  aff'ord  to  outside  nations  com- 
mercial advantages  of  untold  value,  giving  nothing  whatever  in  return,  was  promptly  seized  upon 
by  Western  powers.  By  what  is  known  as  "  the  most  favored  nation  clause,"  these  treaties  were 
rendered  practically  interminable  —  made  so  by  the  item  introduced  by  Lord  Elgin  and  copied 
by  all  the  powers,  that  "  any  concession  granted  to  any  government  by  Japan  for  any  privileges, 
however  valuable,  may  be  claimed  at  once  by  all  the  powers,  without  any  concession  in  return  to 
Japan  whatever." 

This  has  always  stood,  since  1858.  a  complete  bar  against  Japan  making  or  revising  her 
own  treaties.    The  chief  incidental  evil  in  this  grew  out  of  the  fact  that  England  secured  from 


///  the  Sitiirisc  J\  i iigdout . 


25 


Japan  a  concession  that  a  (lut\'  ot"  only  5  per  cent  slionld  he  collected  on  imported  j^oods  fium 
any  nation  wliate\'er.  Mr.  Harris  luid  oroposcd  a  daity  oi"  20  ])cr  cvrii.  'I'iiis  England's  muusici 
foiled,  and  the  t\venty-ei.<;ht  powers  now  in  commercial  relations  witli  Japan  took  advanta<;e  of  it, 
and  still  retain  it.    japan  is  in  ^reat  financial  straits  in  consecjuence. 

The  commerce  anil  inchistries  of  Japan  bein<j  throttled,  the  tariff  heini^  he-Id  to  such  a  mini- 
mvnn,  the  taxes  for  government  support  are  forced  back  on  the  land.  I  am  told  it  actually  takes 
one  half  the  farmer's  product  to  pay  the  government  ta.xes,  and  one  c[uarter  more  is  reciuired  to 
pay  the  land  owner,  leaving  the  man  who  tills  the  soil  only  one  quarter  of  his  jjroduct  of  silk  or 
rice  or  cotton  on  which  to  li\e.  Is  it  any  wonder,  then,  that  there  is  at  last  in  Japan,  with  all 
its  awakening  intelligence  and  moral  sense,  an  uprising  in  protest.^ 

What  is  called  the  anti-foreign  feeling  and  the  reaction  against  Western  inrtuence  is  due, 
as  I  divine  it,  mainly  to  the  waking  realization  of  Japan  to  the  toils  into  which  the  shrewd 
powers  of  the  West  have  drawn  her.  A  vigorous  struggle,  late  as  it  is,  to  defend  herself  against 
universal  oppression  and  national  undoing,  is  the  result. 

The  secular  educational  furore  has  unquestionably  been  at  white  heat.  For  years  there  has 
been  an  importation  of  all  the  advanced  speculative  theorizings  from  Oermany,  France,  England 
and  America,  touching  education.  Every  man  aspires  to  be  a  philosoper,  a  Spencer,  a  Alill,  or 
Hegel  —  no  matter  who,  if  he  is  only  much  talked  of  abroad. 

It  would  be  untrue,  however,  to  suppose  that  the  anti-foreign  feeling  now  prevalent,  though  ^ 
arising  mainly  from  resistance  to  the  treaty  status,  is  the  whole  truth.  Japan  has  for  twenty 
years  been  going  too  fast.  She  has  been  much  tiattered,  both 
at  home  and  abroad.  In  many  cases  the  Japanese  have  conic 
to  over\-alue  themselves  and  their  accjuisitions,  until  now  there 
is  a  wide  feeling  that  henceforth  they  can  go  alone,  and  little 
thanks  to  either  foreign  money  or  foreign  instruction.  There 
are  some  painful  cases  of  such  ingratitude,  toward  even  their 
chief  benefactors,  among  all  the  missions.  Doubtless  a  sift- 
ing process  is  needed,  and  it  probably  is  at  hand. 

October  5. 

Nikko  is  one  of  the  Meccas  of  Japan.  It  has  been  a 
sacred  place  since  A.  D.  767,  when  the  Buddhist  saint,  Shodo 
Shodon,  first  visited  it.  Early  in  the  seventeenth  century  it 
was  selected  by  the  second  Shogun  as  a  resting-place  for  his 
father,  lyeyasu,  the  first  Shogun.  A  great  procession  accom- 
panied the  remains  of  lyeyasu  on  a  journey  of  nearly  a  month 

from  Suruga,  in  Southern  Japan,  to  Nikko.    lyemitsu,  the        kegon  notaki  waterfall. 
third  Shogun,  is  also  here  entombed,  and  likewise  deified. 

Thus  you  see  this  is  the  seat  of  a  great  national  shrine  —  a  sort  of  Westminster  Abbey.  To  it  vast 
numbers  of  devoted  pilgrims  are  always  coming,  and  especially  at  the  time  of  the  great  festivals. 


26 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


LIvVi-TU.MElUAb. 

about  6  o'clock  we  drove  up  to  the  most  comfor 
on  their  summer  outings  have  been  stopping. 

The  surroundings  of  Nikko 
are  as  mountainous  and  pictu- 
resque as  those  of  Lauter- 
briinen,  in  Switzerland.  Water- 
falls, springs  and  dashing 
torrents  are  on  every  side  ;  and 
the  terraced  hills,  with  their 
numberless  costly  and  mag- 
nificent temples  and  shrines, 
are  fairly  bewildering.  A  very 
interesting  "Sacred  Bridge" 
crosses  the  Daiya  Gawa,  a 
rushing  stream  just  below  the 
wondrous  temples  which  stand 
on  the  terraces  above. 

The  great  excursion  of  the 
neighborhood  is  up  to  Lake 
Chuzenji  and  Yumoto,  twelve 
and  sixteen  miles  right  up  the 


One  of  the  impressive  things 
about  the  establishment  of  this 
place  is  the  canonization  of  the 
very  roatl  by  which  the  remains 
of  lycyasu  were  brought  to  this 
spot.  Our  ride  for  twenty-six 
miles  was  along  this  road. 
Think  of  two  rows  of  trees, 
immense  lofty  pines  or  cedars, 
from  two  to  five  feet  in  diam- 
eter, about  150  feet  in  height, 
the  branches  of  which  com- 
pletely over-arch  the  road,  and 
a  stream  of  clear  mountain 
spring  water  flowing  on  each 
side  of  this  road  at  the  roots 
of  the  trees.  The  road  itself 
is  smooth  and  hard,  trodden 
for  ages.  Through  this  we 
rode  all  the  afternoon,  and 
table  of  native  inns,  where  many  missionaries 


SACRED  BRIDGE,  NIKKO. 


In  tlic  Sunrise  Kitigdoin . 


27 


inountain-sides.  At  Yumoto  \vc  were  4,800  feet  above  the  sc;i,  and  there  were  lofty  peaks  .iihI 
extinct  volcanoes  3,000  feet  higher  all  around  us.  This  trip  we  took  during  the  last  two  days  and 
in  the  most  ideal  weather.  The  mountain  lakes  so  high  up  and  filled  with  salmon  trout,  —  on 
some  of  which  we  feasted,  —  are 
so  crystalline  and  green,  the  look- 
outs from  lofty  precipices  are  so 
bold,  and  the  little  tea-houses 
perched  on  crags,  with  the  ruddy 
little  Japanese  maids  w^ho  sit  on 
their  feet  ready  to  wait  on  \  ou  while 
you  eat,  form  scenes  so  uniquely 
picturesciue,  that  the  surprise  and 
delight  of  each  stage  of  the  journey 
are  without  parallel  in  anything 
which  I  have  seen.  M.  Yumoto 
there  are  hot  boiling  suli)luir 
springs,  in  the  water  of  which  all 
tourists  bathe  before  retiring  for 
the  night,  — a  preparation  for  sleep 
after  the  long  clay's  horseback-riding,  climbing  and  boating  to  get  there,  not  to  be  despised. 

It  would  have  amused  you  to  see  the  motherly  old  woman  who  waited  on  my  table  gi\  e  me 
lessons  in  the  use  of  chopsticks,  which  I  resolutely  undertook  for  once.  Fortunately  for  the  soup, 
I  had  in  my  pocket  one  of  the  spoons  which  was  put  up  with  my  lunch  when  I  left  home. 
That  spoon  is  serving  me  many  a  good  turn.  To  the  natives  in  these  wilds  it  is  like  Joseph's 
cup  —  a  thing  to  conjure  with.  It  w^as  a  fine  expression  of  Oriental  hospitality,  the  next  morn- 
ing, when  the  old  bald  patriarch  of  the  house  picked  up  our  baggage  and  escorted  us  to  the  gate 
of  the  town,  at  which,  when  he  had  arrived,  he  faced  about,  and,  giving  us  our  effects,  bowed 
with  his  face  almost  touching  the  ground,  and  saying,  "  Saya-nara  "  (i.  e.,  "  Good-by  "),  sent  us 
on  our  wa}'. 

We  have  had  as  one  of  our  companions  here  Mr.  Liddiard  of  Hastings,  England,  one  of  the 
finest  of  English  Christian  laymen,  and  a  great  Sunday-school  man  of  the  Jacobs  type.  He  was 
at  the  late  Pittsburgh  Sunday-school  convention.  He  has  travelled  widely,  and  is  out  now  for 
two  years  of  it.  I  much  enjoy  him.  Thus  friends  turn  up  on  all  hands  to  those  who  are  in  the 
Lord's  way. 

This  morning  we  had  a  little  service  in  English  in  one  of  the  rooms.  Only  five  were  present, 
Mr.  L.,  Mr.  VV.,  two  Japanese  preachers,  my  man  Kaukatza  and  a  fine  seminary  student  from 
the  Congregational  school  of  Kioto,  and  myself.  Mr.  W.  preached  on  "Who  hath  created  of 
one  blood  all  nations,"  etc.  Mr.  L.  prayed.  We  all  sang,  "  Come,  let  us  join  our  cheerful  songs  " 
and  "  Jesus  shall  reign  where'er  the  sun."  Following  the  sermon,  I  prayed,  being  specially  led 
out  for  the  two  evangelists  with  us,  and  for  Japan  as  a  whole.  It  was  a  tender  time.  The  spirit 
of  the  Lord  drew  near,  and  we  all  felt  it  good  thus  to  meet  and  worship  Him  —  England,  America 


Ill  Jh-iglitest  Asia-, 


and  Japan  represented.  N.  was  v  isibly  aftected,  and  I  am  sure  I  was  to  an  unusual  degree.  Oh, 
for  a  down-pour  on  these  dear  native  preachers.  This  is  my  constant  burden  in  Japan.  Kau- 
katza  gave  us  the  benediction  in  his  deep,  rich  Japanese,  as  follows:  "  Nega  wakuwa  Chichi- 
naiiu  Kamino  megumi  Kiini  Yesjiro  itsuku  shimi  Kiyoki  Mitamano  skitashimi  tsunenl  warerato 
tomoni  arah  Koto  mo.  Amen."  This  evening  these  two  brethren  have  called  a  meeting  for  the 
natives  to  be  held  in  the  largest  room  in  the  pension.  I  encouraged  them  to  go  out  this  after- 
noon from  house  to  house,  and  get  the  people  stirred  up  to  come  in.    I  trust  they  will  succeed. 

They  tell  us  that  if  they 
can  say  that  we  foreigners 
will  speak  to  them  also,  it 
will  bring  more.  So  we 
hope  in  this  way  at  least 
to  develop  that  quality 
wh  ich  at  home  our 
churches  are  all  eager  for, 
viz.,  the  drawing  quality. 
Oh,  but  heathenism  is 
dense  here,  and  almost 
unbroken.  There  are 
temples  on  all  sides  of  us, 
and  gods  of  stone  by  the 
hundreds.  Every  liour  the 
deep  bass  gongs  and  bells, 
rung  by  the  priests,  remind 
us  that,  if  we  are  ever  to 
gain  this  people,  there 
must  be  put  forth  efforts 
of  which  we  have  not  yet 
dreamed.  There  is  not  a 
gospel  laborer  of  any  kind  settled  or  regularly  laboring  in  this  place  of  several  thousands  in  this 
Jerusalem  of  Japan,  and  it  has  been  called  a  sacred  place  for  1,200  years.  And  yet  the  people 
have  everything  they  really  need  except  the  gospel. 

At  the  shrine  of  lyemitsu  we  saw  a  poor,  pale  Buddhist  priest,  for  whom  my  heart  yearned. 
His  face  is  the  second  of  two  which  were  sketched  in  the  Century  a  short  time  ago.  Through 
Kaukatza  I  asked  him  if  he  had  ever  seen  the  New  Testament  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  said,  "  No." 
I  gave  him  20  cents  with  which  to  buy  a  copy,  telling  him  it  had  brought  the  greatest  blessings  to 
me,  rest  of  heart,  redemption  from  sin,  and  it  had  blessed  millions  in  my  country.  He  bowed 
low,  and  not  only  thanked  me,  but  promised  to  get  one  at  once.  Twenty  minutes  afterwards,  he 
came  running  after  us  to  thank  me  again,  saying  he  would  get  the  Testament. 


V(  i.MEIMON  GATE. 


///  tlic  Sunrise  Kingdom. 


Ser^dai. 

Sfiulai,  on  the  bay  of  tlic  same  name,  on  the  cast  coast,  situated  hiijli  and  dry  on  a  flat  al)ove 
a  rushing  river,  is  a  city  of  some  60,000  souls,  an  important  city  from  every  point  of  view. 
Brother  E.  H.  Jones  and  wife  and  Brother  S.  W.  Hamblen  are  here;  the  latter  only  recently 
come,  but  already  gettinj^  well  into  use  of  the  language.  There  is  a  native  churcli  of  about  160 
members,  worshipping  in  a  new,  commodious  chapel.  Several  out-stations  are  in  operation. 
There  is  a  beautiful  mission  compound  of  three  acres,  situated  on  a  picturescjue  bluff,  and  a  good 
mission-house  built  in  Japanese  style,  which  Brother  Jones  occupies,  to  be  supplemented  soon, 
we  trust,  by  another  on  the  same  compound  for  Brother  Hamblen.  Here,  also,  are  three 
missionary  single  ladies  —  Miss  Fife,  Miss  I'hillips,  and  Miss  Mead.  The  latter  came  with  us 
from  Minnesota.    There  is  under  their  charge  the  beginning  of  a  promising  work  for  girls  and 


USIUM.A.  X'ULCANU. 


women.  They  however  greatly  need  a  compound  purchased  for  them,  and  suitable  simple  build- 
ings erected  for  a  girls'  school  and  for  the  training  of  Bible-women.  The  seasons  of  conference 
and  prayer  enjoyed  with  these  workers  at  Sendai  will  long  be  tenderly  remembered. 

It  was  a  great  disappointment  that,  owing  to  washouts  on  the  railway,  we  failed  to  make  such 
connections  as  to  meet  iMr.  Poate  of  Morioka,  who  had  been  to  Sendai  and  left  before  we  reached 
the  place.    We  have  no  better  worker  in  Japan  than  he. 

Off  for  l^ob^.  October  7. 

This  afternoon  we  are  off  for  Kobe  by  this  new  and  splendid  vessel,  the  "  Kobe  Maru."  We 
had  quite  a  leave-taking  of  the  many  warm  friends  we  have  made  in  Yokohama.  ~ 

A  fine  sight  has  just  called  us  from  the  lunch  table.  .\  British  fleet  of  nine  men-of-war,  sail- 
ing in  two  columns  or  rows,  led  by  the  gaily  decorated  flag-ship  of  the  admiral,  are  sailing  up 


In  BrigJitest  Asia. 


tho  hay  as  leave  it.  The  ships  are  all  i)ure  white,  and  make  a  tine  appearance.  They  will 
help  the  Japs  to  be  a  little  more  temperate,  pending  the  excitement  of  the  coming  i)arliament, 
perhaps,  but  of  course  there  are  no  warlike  outbreaks  expected. 

Now,  two  hours  later,  we  are  passing  a  high,  mountainous  island  called  Bresse,  the  sun^mit  of 
which,  Osima,  is  a  perpetual  volcano.  A  cloud  of  smoke  a  half-mile  in  height  lies  on  the 
mount,  and  curls  away  gracefully  heavenward;  and  the  western  sun  smiting  it,  turns  it  to  a 
roseate  luie,  so  that  you  might  fancy  it  kindled  from  within.  It  is  even  more  striking,  I  am  told, 
than  V'esuvius  in  its  volume  of  smoke.  Last  week  we  saw  another  volcano,  Fantaisan,  on  the 
way  to  Sendai.  A  year  or  so  ago  the  whole  side  of  the  mountain  blew  out  in  an  explosion,  the 
ashes  of  which  fell  twenty-five  miles  away,  and  it  smokes  voluminously  yet. 

^  5ouc;f?  of  Eartrl^quaK^. 

We  have  been  treated  (?)  to  three  live  earthquakes.  The  first  two  were  trifling.  Indeed,  the 
first  one  I  doubted  if  it  were  real, —  the  windows  rattling  and  the  lamps  vibrating  a  little.  But  last 
night  I  was  sitting  on  the  floor  in  my  room,  re-packing  my  baggage,  when  suddenly  tlie  floor  under 
me  heaved  as  if  it  were  a  sea  wave,  and  everything  cracked  and  settled ;  and  then  there  was  a 
twisting  motion,  and  —  well  —  I  have  had  enough.  Once  like  that  will  do,  especially  when  you 
remember  that  in  the  past  there  have  been  earthquakes  which  have  destroyed  thousands  of  lives 
and  swallowed  villages.  I  began  to  believe  there  was  a  big  turtle  under  the  earth,  perhaps  near 
Minneapolis,  and  he  thought  he  would  turn  over  for  a  change.  The  earth's  crust  is  a  little  too 
thin  here  for  comfort,  and  no  mistake.    It  makes  one  more  willing  to  go  to  sea. 

It  is  very  restful  again,  after  four  weeks  of  visiting  and  sight-seeing,  discussing  mission  policy 
from  every  conceivable  point  of  view  with  missionaries  of  so  varied  ideas,  and  in  so  diverse 
circumstances,  —  dealing  with  people  whose  language  they  cannot  acquire  under  five  years, — ■  to 
get  away  to  sea  and  have  a  little  sense  of  leisure.  The  greatness  of  the  task  of  successfully 
•conducting  these  Asiatic  missions  is  beyond  any  possible  estimate  that  can  be  formed  at  home. 

Kobe,  October  8. 

We  landed  here  this  afternoon  at  4  o'clock,  and  find  ourselves  to-night  snugly  quartered  at 
the  pleasant  home  of  our  missionary,  R.  A.  Thoinson.  This  city,  with  its  contiguous  city  of 
Hiogo,  altogether  numbering  over  100,000  souls,  situated  on  a  bay  at  the  head  of  the  Inland  Sea, 
on  its  crescent  beach,  and  beneath  the  picturesque  mountains  at  the  back,  struck  me  as  one  of 
the  most  attractive  of  Japanese  cities.  Here  we  found  our  lone  missionary.  Brother  Thomson, 
and  his  sunny  wife  (the  other  missionary.  Brother  Rhees,  is  at  present  in  America)  working  away 
as  busily  as  bees  in  clover-time.  Brother  Thomson  has  the  Scotch  grit  and  the  Scotch  grace, 
and  the  training  of  the  Guinnesses  of  London,  which  of  itself  is  usually  a  guarantee  of  an  aggres- 
sive and  soul-winning  evangelism.  There  was  no  note  of  discouragement,  no  talk  of  difficulties  ; 
but  all  was  for  advance.  A  thriving  church  ;  well-attended  Sunday  services ;  a  capable  native 
pastor  and  thriving  out-stations ;  and  besides,  Brother  Thomson  and  his  wife  have  gathered 
from  among  the  more  promising  young  men  employed  in  the  Custom  House,  the  Post  Ofiice  and 


lit  (lie  Sunrise  Kingdom . 


y,  the  li 

address 
,    It  lool 


on  "Tlie 
;ed  to  me 


the  banks,  a  hand  of  sonic  (ifty  or  sixty  whom  they  teach  three  cvcninj^'s  weekl 
most  prominent . 

On  Simday  morning  we  liad  gathered  a  lar<;c  roomful  of  llicm  to  liear  an 
Life  of  Faitli."    The  most  of  them  understood  me  well  without  the  interpreter, 
as  if  this  brother  was  rapidly  developing  a  school  of 
evangelists  all  his  own,  and  of  the  right  sort. 

Our  week  in  this  less  political  atmosphere  than  that 
found  in  and  about  Tokio  was  an  experience  full  of 
encouragement.  We  had  here  also  delightful  inter- 
views with  Brothers  McCullom  and  Bronson,  who  have 
been  temporarily  here,  out  who  now  are  to  locate  in 
Osaka.  These  brethren  are  representatives  of  the 
Southern  Convention  Board.  One  of  the  loveliest 
waterfalls  pours  down  tlirough  a  glen  hard  by. 

Kioto.  October  13. 

I  have  been  to  Kioto,  spending  two  days,  the  guest 
of  Dr.  Davis,  the  senior  professor  in  the  Doshisha 
School,  founded  by  Neesima,  the  American  educated 
Japanese  of  world-wide  fame.  Dr.  Davis  is  a  graduate 
of  Beloit  College  and  the  Chicago  Congregational 
Seminary,  and  we  know  many  Congregatioualists  in 
common.    We  had  a  fine  visit,  and  he  showed  me 

about  the  city,  the  great  temples,  etc.,  besides  giving  me  an  inside  view  of  the  college,  the  Yale 

of  Japan.  Six  hundred  or  more  students  were  at  the  chapel  exer- 
cise. They  have  thirteen  dormitories  for  boys,  built  in  Japanese 
style,  besides  the  four  large  brick  structures  on  the  main  campus, 
and  besides  the  large  girls'  school  and  training-school  for  nurses. 
These  Congregationalists  have  taken  hold  of  things,  though,  in 
Japan  in  right  good  earnest.  One  of  their  people,  Mr.  Hariis  of 
New  London,  Conn.,  has  devoted  $100,000  to  the  Doshisha  School. 
Nothing  we  have  seen  of  late,  save  the  beaming  face  of  the  donor 
himself,  which  we  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  in  July  at  Moody's 
Northfield  College  Conference,  has  done  us  more  good  than  the  sight 
of  the  spacious  building  erected  at  Kioto  by  this  princely  Christian, 
with  what  it  implies  at  home  and  abroad. 

Where  is  the  Baptist  philanthropist  who,   with  similar  far- 
sightedness and  devotion,  will  do  similar  things  for  us,  especially 
for  our  theological  or  training-school  ?    We  are  happy  to  note  the 
NEESIMA.  harbinger  of  such  good  things  to  come  from  the  home  beneficence. 


WATIiRFALL  AT  KOBE. 


KIOTO. 


Jn  the  Sunrise  Kingdom. 


33 


whercl))'  it  was  niaclc  ixjssihlu  for  us  to  paitiLipatc  in  tlic  consecration  of  the  new  site  for  the 
"  Mary  Colby  dirls' Home,"  just  purciiased  in  \'ok()hama.  We  were  f^lad  to  see  tiiis  decided 
step  f(M-\vard  taken  while  we  were  on  the  .iii-ounrl  as  the  ^^iiests  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  .Aslimore.  W'.- 
trust  similar  moves,  with  a  fir  look  ahead,  may  follow  in  the  near  future,  as  the  j)ro;;ress  in 
evangeliz;ition  ma}'  warrant  them. 


Cidbt  and  S^^ai^ou/s.  , 
,         ij    1       1  '         '  KOHK,  October  12. 

10  iiiv  di'itr  Ola  ciiuicii :  — 

1  h  u  e  returned  from  Kioto.  Here  I  am  in  tlie  very  thick  of  the  battle,  amid  th^;  stern  and 
yet  <;iowini;  realities  of  tlie  reclamation  of  ,<;reat  races  from  heathenism  and  idolatry,  oh,  so  j^ross  ! 
and  not  even  love  for  so  dear,  dear  a  place  as  the  atmosphere  of  the  Central  Church  would  turn 
me  back.  If  it  were  a  mere  agency  of  the  professional  sort,  confined  to  travelling  over  the  coun- 
try, to  asking  the  people  for  money,  to  making  sentimental  speeches  before  conventions  at  home, 
I  could  never  have  left  )'ou  ;  hut  I  am  now  amid  the  realities  and  the  sublime  achievements  of  the 
work  itself.  I  face  heathenism  and  its  horrible  fruits  of  corruption  and  death  every  day.  I  tread 
my  way  through  the  great  avenues,  up  the  massi\  e  staircases  of  stone  hollowed  by  the  tread  of 
myriads  through  the  centuries,  to  temples,  numbering  froni  i,ooo  to  3,000  in  a  single  city; 
enthroned  on  all  the  bold  cliflfs,  nestled  under  all  the  stateliest  trees,  on  all  the  hillsides  that 
encircle  a  city  (as  in  Kioto,  for  thirty  miles  round),  and  everywhere  I  find  humanity  thronging, 
prostrating  themselves,  muttering  empty  prayers  to  gilded  blocks  of  images  of  wood  and  stone,, 
and  turning  sorrowfully  away  as  hungry  as  they  came. 

But  this  is  not  all  I  see.  Were  this  all,  my  heart  would  sink.  Another  picture  presents  itself 
here  in  divine  relief.  Little  congregations  of  smiling,  radiant  worshippers  in  their  plain,  simple 
chapels ;  native  preachers  holding  in  hand  the  divine  transforming  word,  and  pouring  their  eager 
testimony  into  the  upturned  faces  and  open  hearts  before  them  ;  Sunday  schools  singing  our  own 
sweet  hymns ;  Christian  schools,  colleges  and  theological  seminaries,  with  hundreds  of  bright- 
faced  and  renewed  youth,  abreast  of  many  in  our  own  home  schools  in  all  the  elements  of  Chris- 
tian learning;  sunny  kindergartens,  with  tlK'ir  little  marching  throngs,  hymning  their  infant 
devotion  in  the  sweetest  strains  to  our  Christ  and  theirs,  all  taught,  not  only  by  missionaries,  but 
by  scores  of  native  teachers,  both  men  and  women  ;  young  women's  seminaries,  with  girls  num- 
bering often  150  or  200  sweet  and  accomplished  characters  in  a  single  school. 

Ah!  there  are  bright  spots  in  contrast  with  the  vast  darkness,  that  gleam  like  heavenly  stars 
in  the  densest  night.  Daily  I  am  mingling  in  these  scenes,  not  merely  as  an  onlooker,  but  as  a 
sharer.  I  often  find  opportunity  to  speak  through  an  interpreter  a  few  words,  twice  I  preached 
an  entire  sermon,  once  I  examined  four  candidates  for  baptism,  and  the  next  night  with  my  own 
hands  baptized  them  in  Christ's  name. 

To-day  I  had  an  opportunity  to  open  conversation  so  easily  with  a  bright  \'oung  teacher  of  some 
Buddhist  students,  who  also  is  teaching  Japanese  to  one  of  our  Southern  Convention  mission- 
aries, and  who  speaks  English  well.  He  said  he  was  "  studying  Christianity.''  I  cautioned  him 
against  studying  it  as  a  mere  philosophy,  and  commended  to  him  Christ  himself,  to  be  welcomed 
into  the  heart,  to  become  a  power  of  peace  and  blessing  inwardly,  to  be  received  immediately, 


34 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


without  delay.  In  short.  I  pressed  him  as  I  would  anv  Minneapolis  sinner  or  agnostic.  He 
winced,  grew  tender,  and  acknowlctlged  the  obligation.    1  said  :    "  We  may  never  meet  again  ;  let 

me  pray  for  you  here  and 
now."  He  consented.  I 
poured  out  my  heart  for 
him.  At  the  close  he  said 
with  emphasis,  "Amen." 
I  shook  his  hand  warmly, 
commended  him  to  the 
New  Testament,  and  to 
the  God  of  it,  and  left 
him.  Mrs.  Bronson,  who 
sat  by  and  witnessed  it  all, 
thanked  me  for  my  in- 
terest in  their  teacher. 
She  said  she  had  been 
longing  to  reach  him  ;  and 
for  the  object  lesson  on 
pressing  the  claims  of 
Christ,  she  gave  me 
thanks,  and  now  that  the 
ice  was  broken,  promised 
to  follow  it  up.*  I  have 
frequent  opportunities  of 
this  kind — on  the  train,  steamers,  and  witli  jinrikisha  men  who  pull  me  about  the  streets;  in 
short,  1  am  far  more  a  missionary  than  a  secretary  these  daj's. 

*  Before  leaving  Kobe,  I  had  a  second  interview  with  this  young  man,  and  had  good  hope  that  he  had 
accepted  Christ.  Afterwards,  while  in  Singapore,  I  wrote  him.  Eight  months  afterwards,  when  I  had 
reached  home,  I  received  the  following  word  from  him  :  "  Gentleman, —  Your  kind  favor  of  December  4  I 
<luly  received.  Being  told  that  you  are  now  in  America,  I  send  an  answer  to  your  letter.  When  I  saw 
you  at  INIr.  T's  I  realized  how  Christianity  influences  the  people,  and  I  came  to  the  decisive  conclusion 
that  I  should  profess  Christ  puljlicly,  before  my  parents,  relatives  and  friends.  But  they  are  not  Christians, 
so  on  my  becoming  Christian  they  would  naturally  censure  me.  But,  thank  God,  I  was  baptized  by  Mr. 
McC.  at  Osaka,  and  I  am  now  preparing  to  meet  with  sneers  and  scorn.  I  rely  upon  God  as  a  strong 
cane  when  I  feel  unable  to  walk  in  the  path  full  of  brambles  and  obstacles;  as  a  strength  when  I  feel 
weak;  as  a  sharp  sword  when  1  encounter  an  enemy.  Not  only  I  prepare  for  their  attacking,  but  for  their 
conversion.  One  of  my  brothers-in-law  is  a  very  powerful  man,  who  lately  became  a  member  of  Diet, 
and  who  possesses  three  big  news  offices;  and  yet  he  is  not  a  Christian.  If  he  is  converted,  indeed  1,000 
people  shall  follow  his  example.  I  am  going  to  open  a  battle  of  pen  with  him.  Oh,  it  is  fearful  when  I 
think  about  those  times  when  I  did  not  believe  Christ,  and  it  is  woe  to  me,  as  Paul  said,  if  I  do  not  preach  to 
others.  But  first  I  will  study  the  Bible.  I  have  many  things  to  tell  you,  but  my  poor  English  would  not 
express  my  thoughts,    God  bless  you,  genuine  believer.  Yours  truly,  K.  K." 


JINRIKISHA. 


///  tlic  Sunrise  Kiiigdo)!! . 


35 


Tlicn  von  sliouUl  sec  how  Iuin!;i-y  these  dear,  often  lone,  and  hair-discoura<jed  missionaries 
are  for  the  cheering  Bible  talks  which  I  am  permitted  to  give  ;  how  they  run  and  bring  in  other 
missionaries  of  any  and  every  denomination  to  share  with  them  in  the  refreshment.  Yesterday 
we  had  a  sister  from  Minnesota  (Congregationalist),  supported  by  the  students  of  Carleton  Col- 
lege ;  and  to-day  a  Chicago  lady,  teaching  kindergarten  ;  and  again  this  afternoon  a  woman  sup- 
ported by  Plymouth  Church,  iMinneajjolis  ;  and  this  evening  a  Miss  Carr  (Methodist),  whom  I 
once  met  at  Asbury  Park.  You  should  have  heard  the  regret  expressed  by  these  Congregational 
ladies,  as  they  said,  "No  secretary  of  the  American  Board  has  ever  come  out  to  see  us,  and  we 
so  thank  you  for  coming;  and  you  have  so  helped  us  by  your  talk  to-day." 

And  so  it  goes.  I  miss,  indeed,  my  precious  ones  in  the  home  nest  and  in  the  home  church, 
but  I  dare  not  take  long  yet  to  think  on  that ;  with  my  face  set  to-morrow  to  go  with  Brother 
Halsey  to  Shimonoseki  and  Nagasaki,  and  thence  to  Shanghai,  I  look  on  to  other  lields  with 
increasing  zest,  and  the  certain  assurance  that  I  am  both  sent,  and  by  Christ's  grace  needed. 

We  are  wofully  behind  everybody  here  —  so  inexcusably  behind.  The  opportunities  have  been 
so  great ;  the  promise  so  large  ;  the  first  beginnings  so  neglected  or  allowed  to  be  overgrown  with 
weeds,  timid  hearts  so  unencouraged,  so  few  resources  drawn  upon  from  the  home-land.  Things 
here  have  so  needed  unification,  melting  together  through  spiritual  means,  and  toning  up  through 
the  impartation  of  a  larger  confidence,  both  in  God  and  in  the  denomination's  purpose  to  really 
wage  a  campaign  in  Japan.  It  is  late  for  Baptists  in  Japan,  but  by  God's  grace  we  will  have  a  vic- 
tory yet  in  this  w'onderful  empire.  Such  another  opportunity  does  not  exist  on  the  planet  for 
rapid  and  brilliant  triumphs  of  the  cross,  —  not  even  in  North  America.  Among  other  things,  I 
want,  in  Christ's  name, 
$100,000  for  Japan  in  the 
next  three  years!  You  may 
as  well  begin  to  pray  for  it. 
You  will  hear  much  of 
special  discouragements  in 
Japan  just  now,  but  God 
.knows  no  discouragements. 
The  encouragements  far 
outweigh  them  in  any  case. 

I  have  had  no  time  nor 
heart  to-night  to  speak  of 
the  wondrous  beauties  of 
the  country  from  end  to 
end ;  of  the  fascinations  and 
bewitching  features  of  the 
whole  type  of  landscape, 
custom,  arts  and  civiliza- 
tion.   For   this   time  you 

must  be  content  with  my  sanjisexdo  temi'lk. 


36 


/;/  B riglitcst  Asia. 


hciirt-spillinys  on  deeix'i"  things.  ISesidcs,  I  know  tliis  is  wliat  )()u  want.  I  am  well,  h.ippy  as  a 
king,  and  a  prophet,  too.  Give  my  love  to  the  whole  dear  family,  not  only  under  B's  roof,  under 
the  parsonage  shingles,  but  also  under  the  whole  canopy  of  the  dear  old  church.  Most  tenderly 
and  lrul\', 

Your  p.v.stor  till  you  get  another. 


T  am  mailing  to  you  a  map  of  the  city  of  Kioto.  The  city  has  500,000  people.  Bear  in  mind 
that  all  those  great  red  square  blotches  all  around  on  three  sides  of  the  city,  with  spacious  park- 
like grounds,  are  without  exception  idolatrous  temples  ;  and  they  are  only  a  part  of  the  thousand 
or  more  which  the  city  contains.  What  do  the  Baptist  unions  in  American  churches  think  of 
this  as  a  specimen  of  church  extension?  One  of  these  temples  has  a  mammoth  image  of  the 
Goddess  Kwannon,  with  i  ,000  hands  and  eleven  faces ;  and  on  each  side  of  her  there  are  500 
other  gilded  images  standing  ten  rows  on  a  side,  each  five  feet  high, —  1,000  in  all,  and  each 
image  has  ten  small  images  on  each  head  and  ten  on  each  hand.  The  building  containing  them 
is  400  feet  long.  It  is  called  "The  Thirty  Thousand  (}od  Temple."  In  one  place  a  new  one  is 
V-^  building,  costing  $5,000,000  ;  and  yet  most  of  these  people  are  poor  beyond  description, 
^  living  on  $50  per  year.  In  one  o'"  these  temples  I  saw  a  poor  pilgrim  making  1,000 
rounds  of  the  temple  corridor,  and  casting  into  a  box  with  each  round  a  little  stick,  to 
keep  his  tally,  in  order  to  accumulate  merit. 

Yes,  pray  for  Japan  ;  and  give  the  gospel  to  Asia  at  any  cost,  and  i^ii'e  it  soon. 


At  the  extreme  west  of  the  Inland  Sea,  on  the  strait  opening  into  the 
China  or  Yellow  Sea,  on  the  north  shore,  lies  Shimonoseki ;  and  four 
miles  up  the  coast,  lies  Chofu.    For  once,  we  Baptists  have  occupied  a 
place  first;  and  in  this  region  we  are  the  only  workers.    Brother  R.  L. 
ilalsey  is  at  Shimonoseki,  and  Brother  Shoemaker  is  about  settling  in 
Chofu.    In  the  latter  place,  three  single  sisters  are  occupying  the  beautiful 
mission  compound,  situated  on  a  lovely  coast  just  facing  the  fairy-like 
islets  in  that  charming  sea,  which  is  studded  with  myriads  of  them  of 
every  form.    Here  a  girls'  school  is  to  be  started,  under  the 
management  of  Miss  Blunt,  who  came  out  in  our  company. 
Concerning  this  school,  we  have  had  many  seasons  of  prayer. 
Miss  H.  M.  Browne  has  also  her  work  here,  chiefly  house  to 
house  work,  as  a  real  missionary;  and  Mrs.  Sharland,  an 
English  sister  who  has  had  long  experience  in  Burma,  as  well 
as  in  Japan,  and  who  now  joins  our  mission,  serving  at  her 
own  charges,  is  to  lend  a  hand  here  in  a  service  much  appre- 
ciated.   Some  sixty  believers  are  already  enrolled  in  this 
district.    There  are  several  good  evangelists  at  work  here. 


Ik  the  Siairise  Kingdom. 


37 


and  some  ])r()niisiiig  licentiates,  and  nuniiiers  of  towns  on  ail  sides  awaitinj;  the  coming  of  tlie 
good  tidings. 

IJrotlier  Ilalseyand  I  came  on  together,  iiaving  a  splendid  sail  of  a  niglit  and  a  day  in  the 
most  perfect  weather,  through  tlie  famous  inland  Sea.  'I'hi.s  sea  is  a  sort  of  a  thou.sand-island 
piece  of  scenery  of  great  magnitic-enre,  and  many-l'old  surpassing  the  beauty  and  even  grandeur  of 
the  famous  St.  Lawrence 
group.  The  number  of  the 
islands  is  m_\riad,  and  tlie 
c  h  a  n  n  e  1  s  n  u  m  b  e  r  1  e  s  s  , 
through  which  swaft-rush- 
ing  tides  run  with  such  vio- 
lence that  the  steamer  has 
hard  work  to  make  its  way. 
The  shapes  and  configura- 
tions of  the  islands  and 
headlands  are  numerous. 
Often  you  see  glistening 
beaches,  golden  in  the  sun- 
shine, and  then  rocks  that 
frown  with  blackness,  and 
then  lovely  terraces  on 
which  the  wheat  and  other 
harvests  grow  plentifulh'. 

Numerous  villages  sit  en-  shimonoseki. 
sconced  on  the  shores,  and 

look  out  from  the  gentlest  slopes.  Little  harbors  are  white  with  many  sail  of  the  fishermen,  and 
the  white  surf  bejewels  every  shore.  These  islands  all  rise  to  a  considerable  height,  their  sides 
are  steep,  and  the  summits  above  them  are  peaked  with  jaggedness  in  miniature  outline,  alto- 
gether characteristic  of  Japanese  mountains.  This  is  undoubtedly  the  peculiar  result  of  volcanic 
action  in  some  primeval  age,  when  this  whole  mass  of  3,000  or  more  islands  was  thrust  up  by 
Omnipotence  out  of  fiery  depths.  The  whole  extent  of  Japan,  from  the  first  point  at  which  I 
caught  a  view  to  this  southwest  coast  which  we  are  skirting  to-day,  presents  a  succession  of  those 
jagged,  saw-tooth-shaped  mountain  peaks.  Especially,  as  seen  from  the  sea,  you  literally  never 
see  anything  like  a  plain  or  an  elevated  plateau ;  nothing  corresponding  to  a  prairie  or  pampas 
exists  within  it.  There  are  interspersed  all  through  it,  and  extending  up  the  coves  from  the  coast, 
low-lying  fields  and  valleys,  on  which  rice  and  other  peculiar  crops  are  grown.  All  through  these, 
trenches  and  ditches  run,  bringing  the  water  from  the  hills,  which  irrigate  the  crops.  Japan  thus 
presents  the  most  anomalous  contrast  of  a  country  at  once  low  and  swampy,  and  of  course  mala- 
rial, with  a  scenic  elTect  of  mountainous  diversification  and  beauty  such  as  in  America  we  can 
scarcely  conceive  of.  Much  of  the  country,  indeed,  the  most  of  it,  would  seem,  but  for  the  tim- 
ber, quite  worthless  for  the  support  of  a  population;  and  yet  40,000,000  people  (though  living 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


mostly  on  rice  and  fish,  of  which  latter  the  streams  and  seas  al.jound  with  countless  varieties, 
and  wearing  the  cheapest  and  often  the  scantiest  clothing)  manage  to  subsist. 

'I"his  Shimonoseki  has  about  25,000  jieople ;  and  four  miles  up  the  coast  is  the  fascinating 
town  of  Chot'u,  a  (juaint  old  Samurai  tow  n  of  8,000  people,  full  of  rather  aristocratic  Japanese 
homes,  many  of  them  surrounded  by  sun-dried  cement  yellow  walls,  with  lovely  gardens  filled 
with  persimmon  trees,  just  now  heavy  with  their  autumn  fruit. 

We  put  in  a  busy  day  yesterday,  going  in  jinrikishas  out  to  Chofu  in  the  morning,  looking 
over  everything,  buying  a  few  curios,  returning  in  the  rain,  having  a  good  dinner,  a  chatty  after- 
noon, and  closing  up,  at  10  o'clock  last  night,  with  another  of  those  heavenly  little  prayer  meet- 
ings, which  I  have  cnjo\  ed  with  so  many  circles  in  my  nearly  six  weeks  in  Japan.  All  these  dear 
workers  seem  very  ha]jpy  in  their  work,  and  bravely  do  they  hold  on  to  it,  amid  trials  and  priva- 
tions of  which  we  have  little  conception  at  home. 

Mrs.  Halsey  and  her  little  four-year-old  child  stayed  alone,  the  only  foreigners  in  the  i)lace, 
during  a  time  when  cholera  was  at  its  worst,  while  Mr.  Halsey  was  away,  overseeing  the  condition 
of  the  little  groups  of  believers  in  the  out-towns  ;  but  not  a  fear  did  she  intimate  to  me,  and  not  a 
whine  have  I  heard.  They  rather  live  in  a  high  degree  of  enthusiasm  over  the  ]jri\  ilege  of  thus 
serving  the  Japanese  for  Christ's  sake. 

This  morning,  we  were  all  up  at  6  o'clock  to  get  me  off  by  the  steamer  from  Kobe.  Broth- 
ers Halsey  and  Shoemaker  came  with  me  by  the  sampan  (native  boat)  across  the  strait  half  a 
mile  to  meet  the  steamer.  The  steamer  lay  to  for  half  an  hour.  We  talked  fast  till  the  signal 
struck ;  then  the  two  Morgan  Park  fellows  and  the  gentle  English  sister  descended  the  steps  into 
the  mail  launch,  and,  waving  their  hats  and  handkerchiefs,  they  passed,  I  thought,  rather  sadly 
away  toward  the  Shimonoseki  landing.  Above  the  landing  on  a  high  hill,  reached  by  140  stone 
steps,  in  a  long,  low  bungalow,  the  Halseys  live.  The  house  was  in  full  view,  touched  by  the 
glory  of  the  sun  just  rising  over  the  eastern  mountains  ;  and  the  two  other  ladies  and  the  sweet 
child,  who,  I  was  told,  prayed  very  earnestly  for  me  last  night  —  (a  rare  thing  it  is  for  a  new 
American  face  to  be  seen  in  that  home,  and  there  is  absolutel}-  no  other  white  child  with  whom 
she  can  play)  could  be  discerned  waving  farewells  from  the  long  white  veranda.  Thus,  with  a 
new  sense  of  the  renunciation  involved  in  giving  the  gospel  to  the  heathen,  I  breathed  a  fervent, 
"  God  bless  them,  and  multiply  a  hundred-fold  their  reward."  The  flict  that  this  work  is  not  in 
vain,  was  emphasized  anew  as  I  caught  a  view  of  the  roof  of  the  disused  heathen  temple,  half-way 
down  the  hill,  in  front  of  the  mission  compound,  in  which  the  little  church  at  Shimonoseki  of 
fifty  members  now  regularly  worships,  having  rented  it  from  the  priests. 

Thus  idolatry  is  slowly  but  surely  being  dispossessed.  All  day  long  1  have  been  casting 
glances  backward  to  those  enchanted  shores,  made  sacred  and  forevermore  a  part  of  my  own  life 
from  the  character  of  my  peculiar  embassage  to  them  ;  and  1  have  prayed,  as  I  never  could  have 
done  before,  for  Japan's  redemption,  and  that  the  nearly  forty  of  our  own  dear  workers  whom  I 
have  met,  syinpathized  and  prayed  with,  and  —  if  1  may  give  their  word  for  it  —  encouraged,  may 
have  a  large  share  in  it. 

Nay,  more :  I  have  thought  again  and  again  of  the  relations  of  other  shores  to  these,  and  I 
have  coveted  for  the  luxuriously  living,  exalted  American  Baptists  a  consecration  of  men  and 


Ill  tJie  Sitttrise  Ki nodo7ii. 


39 


money  to  this  lancTs  renovation,  of  whic  h  we  Ikivc  not  _\et  conceived.  O  /Vnicrica!  rouse  thee 
to  this  work,  and  join  our  prayers!  I'astors  of  our  myriad  ciiurches,  prove  yourselves  wortliy 
brethren  of  those  whose  yearning  eyes  followed  our  cle]KU-tini^  steamer  to-day,  as  if  saying,  "  W'e, 

too,   would  join  ^  

)'ou  on  the  jour- 
ney homeward, 
were  our  lives 
our  own.''  For 
"Truly,  if  they 
had  been  mindful 
of  that  country 
from  whence  they 
came  out,  they 
might  have  had 
opportunity  to 
have  returned." 

]Va(^a5aKi. 

This  most  west- 
erly treaty  port,  a 
city  of  some  60,- 
000  souls,  the 
great  port  of  the 
rich  and  populous 
island   of  Kiu 

Shiu    is  as  yet  pappenkerc;.    approach  to  na(>asaivI. 

without  a  Baptist 

missionary.  We  have  here,  however,  an  earnest  brother.  Professor  L.  E.  Martin,  a  graduate 
of  Kalamazoo  College,  who  in  March  next  will  leave  his  government  school  work,  and,  with  his 
three  years'  experience  in  the  country  and  gciod  start  in  the  language,  will  enter  our  mission  ser- 
vice, and  open  a  station  at  some  inland  point  in  this  island,  probably  at  Kurume.* 

We  arrived  last  night,  and  are  spending  the  Sabbath  here.  Several  missionary  brethren  met 
us  this  morning,  and  took  us  ashore.  We  saw  several  missions  of  the  Presbyterians,  Methodists 
and  others  in  flourishing  activity.  The  harbor  is  fine,  and  the  scenery  very  picturesque.  Just  at 
the  entrance  to  the  harbor,  we  passed  the  historic  little  island  of  Pappenberg,  from  the  clirt;  of 
which  so  many  thousands  of  Catholic  martyrs  were  flung  to  their  death  about  three  centuries  ago, 
when  the  Japanese  rose  up  and  exterminated  the  disciples  of  the  early  Jesuitical  influence  which 
followed  upon  Xavier's  conquests. 

*  Since  the  above  was  penned,  Brother  Martin  has  married  Dr.  CIough"s  daughter,  and  gone  to 
Ongole,  India. 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

P  Bdddl^ist  Doetrii7^  of  J/J5tifi(;atio9  by  paitl;. 

A .Ml  the  objects  of  most  striking  interest  which  tlie  traveller  sees  in  the  ancient  city  of 
Kioto,  Jajjan,  are  the  "Temples  of  Hon-g\van-ji  " — "  Eastern  and  "  Western,"' so 
called.  One  of  these  temples  is  quite  new;  in  fact,  it  is  yet  building.  To  those 
sanguine  souls  who  are  inclined  to  think  that  the  force  of  idolatry  in  Japan  is  spent, 
that  idolatrous  shrines  generally  are  in  the  last  stages  of  decay,  and  that  no  more  will  be  built, 
we  commend  a  few  facts  concerning  the  present  building  of  this  new  Hon-gwan-ji  structure.  It 
is  built  entirely  from  the  free-will  olferings  of  the  people  of  the  Buddhist  sect  which  it  represents, 
from  all  parts  of  the  empire.  These  contributions  are  of  costly  jewels,  metals,  woods  for  the 
building,  lumian  hair,  and  money  without  stint. 

On  one  of  the  platforms  of  the  temple  are  twenty-four  coils  of  rope  from  three  to  four  inches 
in  diameter,  made  of  this  human  hair.  Attached  to  one  of  the  coils  is  a  placard  with  this 
inscription :  — 

"  Since  the  thirteenth  year  of  Meji  (i<S8o),  when  the  rebuilding  of  the  two  halls  of  the  Eastern 
Hon-gwan-ji  was  begun,  the  faithful  laymen  and  laywomen  of  every  place  have  been  unanimous 
in  presenting  to  the  principal  temple,  Hon-gwan-ji,  strong  ropes  made  of  their  own  hair,  to  be 
used  for  the  work  of  erection.  The  number  of  these  ropes  reached  fifty-three.  Twenty-nine  of 
them  became  worthless  from  use.  The  total  length  of  the  remaining  twenty-four  is  4,528  feet, 
and  the  total  weight  is  11,567  pounds."' 

Besides  these  ropes  were  several  large  coils  of  hair,  some  of  them  gray,  the  gifts  of  the 
aged,  which  came  in  too  late  to  admit  of  being  used.  The  total  cost  of  this  temple  is  to  reach 
the  sum  of  several  millions  of  dollars.  The  offerings  of  devotees  in  Kioto,  apart  from  gifts 
for  erecting  the  temple,  to  these  two  shrines,  during  the  year  1889,  amounted  to  the  sum  of 
$367,000.  And  yet  most  of  the  contributions  were  from  people  who  are  extremely  poor.  Out  of 
Kioto's  population  of  nearly  500,000,  less  than  500  people  pay  a  tax  amounting  to  $15,  so  poor 
are  they. 

Magnificent,  however,  as  the  temple  is,  and  regal  as  the  offerings  were,  the  peculiarities  of 
the  sect  whose  primal  shrine  is  here  are  of  far  more  interest  to  me. 

These  people  are  a  sect  of  the  Buddhists,  but  they  represent  a  departure  from  pure  ancient 
Buddhism  of  rare  significance.  They  worship  Buddha,  indeed,  but  him  only  in  the  character  of 
Amita,  or  Amitabha,  whom  they  conceive  to  be  the  idealization  and  glorification  of  highest 
discipleship  to  the  primitive  Buddha.  They  eschew  all  works  of  merit ;  they  depend  on  the 
absolute,  unconditioned  niercy  of  Amita  ;  they  have  a  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  only,  apart 


liiidiiliist  Doctrine  of  Justi'lication  by  luiilh. 


41 


iVoni  meritorious  deeds;  their  ])riests  arc  not  celibates  nor  ascetics;  tiiey  carry  on  active  and 
aggressive  missionary  operations,  and  to  tiiis  end  tiiey  Iiighly  educate  their  young  priests, 
sending  some  of  tliem  to  tlie  Dosliisha  Congregational  College  in  Kioto,  and  even  to  Oxford, 
r-iigland.  'I'hree  hundred  of  these  neophytes  are  gathered  in  one  school  near  their  chief  Kioto 
temples. 

The}-  base  their  doctrine  on  that  portion  of  the  liuddhist  Scripture  known  as  the  "  Sam-l)u- 
Kio,"  in  which  is  recorded  the  peculiar  vow  made  by  Amitai)ha  that  he  would  "accept  liuddha- 
ship,  but  under  the  condition  that  salvation  was  made  attainable  by  all  who  should  sincerely 
desire  to  be  born  into  Buddha's  kingdom,  and  should  signify  their  desire  b}-  invoking  his  name 
ten  times."  This  vow  is  called  the  "  Former,  or  Real  Vow,"  and  hence  the  name  given  to  the 
two  great  temples  in  Kioto,  "  Ilon-gwan-ji,"  meaning  "Temple  of  the  Real  Vow,"  referring 
to  their  basal  doctrine. 

This  sect  is  now  divided  really  into  two  —  the  one  known  as  the  "  Jodo  ^  sect  and  the  other 
as  the  "  Shin  Shiu."' 

Originally  they  were  one,  taking  their  rise  in  the  beginning  of  the  twelfth  century  under  a 
great  teacher,  known  as  Honen  Shonin.  This  man  was  enough  in  earnest  to  break  with  earlier 
Buddhists,  and  to  outline  a  doctrine  far  in  advance  of  Buddha's  in  some  respects.  He  taught  the 
worship  of  Amita,  and  also  the  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  in  Amita's  boundless  mercy ;  but 
he  also  urged  the  value  of  meritorious  deeds,  and  insisted  on  the  cardinal  idea  of  Buddhism,  that 
no  help  can  be  expected  in  the  conquest  of  passions  outside  of  one's  self.  It  was  at  this  point 
that  there  sprang  up,  early  in  the  thirteenth  century,  a  departure  from  the  teaching  of  the  Jodo 
sect. 

The  Shin  Shin  sect  differs  tVom  the  Jodo  sect  in  its  teaching  at  the  following  points.  First, 
it  holds  that  salvation  is  due  to  faith  only  in  the  power  and  willingness  of  Amita  to  save  man- 
kind, and  that  the  invocation  implied  in  the  Real  Vow  is  to  be  used  only  as  an  act  of  thanks- 
giving, and  not  as  an  act  of  merit  for  mercy  received  ;  secondly,  that  this  salvation  is  received  at 
once,  and  not  at  death,  and  that  the  believer  is  taken  thenceforth  under  Amita's  merciful  pro- 
tection ;  thirdly,  that  morality  is  of  equal  importance  with  faith  ;  fourthly,  that  while  Nirvana, 
or  eternal  happiness,  is  to  be  attained  (as  all  Buddhists  teach)  by  the  extinction  of  the  passions 
through  many  deaths  and  re-births,  yet  this  extinction  of  passions  (contrary  to  the  usual  Buddhist 
teaching)  may  be  reached  through  help  from  another — that  is,  from  Amitabha,  he  being  the 
chief  of  the  Buddhas.  The  name  "Amitabha"  signifies  "boundless  life  "  or  "immeasurable 
light." 

The  Shin  Shius  maintain  that  their  rival  sect,  the  Jodos,  have  departed  froni  the  former  and 
true  teaching  at  these  several  points.  The  Shin  Shius  have  undertaken  to  restore  the  true  teach- 
ing respecting  the  "  Former  Vow.''  Hence  they  are  sometimes  called  the  Protestants  of  Japanese 
Buddhism.  The  proportions  to  which  this  sect  of  reformers  has  grown  are  remarkable.  They 
have  in  all  Japan  18,000  temples  and  shrines,  and  are  accounted  the  wealthiest  and  most  power- 
ful of  all  the  sects.  They  possess  no  fixed  properties  which  might  be  considered  endowments, 
but  depend  entirely  on  the  otTerings  of  the  people  for  support  and  for  purposes  of  propagandism. 
They  actively  undertake  missions  abroad,  especially  in  Corea  and  China. 


42 


Jn  liriglitcst  Asia. 


The  creed  runs  as  follows  :  "  Rejecting  all  religious  austerities  and  other  action,  giving  up 
all  idea  of  self-power,  we  rely  upon  Amita  Buddha  with  the  whole  heart  for  our  salvation  in  the 
future  life,  which  is  the  most  important  thing,  believing  that  at  the  moment  of  putting  our  faith 
in  Amita  Buddha  our  salvation  is  settled.  Frt)iu  that  moment  invocation  of  his  name  is 
observed  as  an  expression  of  gratitude  and  thankfulness  for  Buddha's  mercy.  Moreover,  being 
thankful  for  the  reception  of  this  doctrine  from  the  founder  and  succeeding  chief  priests,  whose 
teachings  were  so  benevolent,  and  as  welcome  as  light  in  a  dark  night,  we  must  also  keep  the 
laws  which  are  fixed  for  our  duty  during  our  whole  life." 

A  most  extraordinary  statement  this,  to  proceed  from  men  presumably  destitute  of  revelation. 
Substitute  for  Amita  Buddha,  here  conceived  of  as  the  chief  of  the  Buddhas,  the  name  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  you  have  substantially  the  New  Testament  doctrine  of  justification  by 
faith  as  amplified  by  Paul  in  the  Epistles  to  the  Romans  and  Galatians. 

A  still  more  modern  statement  of  the  belief  of  this  remarkable  sect  is  given  by  Mr.  Akam- 
atsu,  a  distinguished  member  of  the  sect  in  Kioto,  and  published  in  the  April  number,  for  iS8i, 
of  the  Clirysaiithemuin,  now  discontinued. 

Says  Mr.  Akamatsu:  "  Amita  Buddha  always  exercises  his  boundless  mercy  upon  all  creat- 
ures, and  shows  a  great  desire  to  help  and  influence  all  people  who  rely  upon  him  to  complete  all 
merits,  and  to  be  reborn  into  Paradise.  Our  sect  pays  no  attention  to  other  Buddhas,  but,  put- 
ting faith  only  in  the  great  desire  of  Amita  Buddha,  expects  to  escape  from  the  miserable  world, 
and  to  enter  into  Paradise  in  the  next  life.  From  the  time  of  putting  faith  in  the  saving  power 
of  Buddha,  we  do  not  need  any  power  of  self-help,  but  need  only  to  keep  his  mercy  in  heart, 
and  invoke  his  name  in  order  to  remember  him.  These  doings  we  call  '  thanksgiving  for 
salvation.' " 

Is  this  an  uninstructed  groping  for  "  the  grace  of  God  which  bringeth  salvation,"'  which  is 
accurately  and  specifically  met  in  Paul's  great  expositions  ?  Is  this  an  ignorant  worship  of  the 
essential  Christ  under  the  phrase  of  Amita  Buddha  ? 

We  would  not  dare  say  that  these  doctrinal  conceptions,  purely  considered,  are  generally 
entertained  by  the  adherents  of  the  sect,  much  less  that  they  have  popular  power  to  bring 
spiritual  rest  and  the  sense  of  salvation  to  the  mass  of  devotees  ! 

How  shall  we  account  for  the  existence  of  the  conceptions  at  all  in  any  measure,  by  even  a 
single  mind?  Shall  it  be  on  the  ground  that  "  He  hath  not  left  himself  without  a  witness 
among  any  nation".''  Whether  we  account  for  it  or  not,  what  a  prepared  soil  is  here,  in  the 
providence  of  God,  for  such  missionary  endeavor  as  shall  be  able  to  go  in  among  such  a  people 
and  explain  to  them  the  real  way  of  God  more  perfectly  !  What  an  evangelizing  oracle  the 
Epistle  of  Paul  to  the  Romans  would  prove  in  meeting  this  unique  state  of  heathen  mind  ! 
May  God  raise  up  and  bring  some  man  to  the  Kingdom  of  the  Sunrise  for  such  a  time  as  this  ! 


Jn  the  Lhiitcsc  Iii)it>ii'e. 


43 


CIIArTKR  \. 

I9       Qt?i935(?  Empir(^. 

/^rriual  at  Sf^aQc^h^ai. 

Shanghai,  Ojtobsr  22. 

RISING  at  daybreak  on  the  morning  of  the  third  day  out  from  Nagasaki,  Japan's  most 
westerly  seaport,  we  find  that  we  are  passing  tlie  "  Saddle  Islands."'  Daring  the  night 
the  sea  has  turned  from  its  usual  deep  green  to  a  dull  yellow,  and  by  noontide  it  is  a 
huge  swash  of  ochre-colored  waves.  We  are  told  that  we  have  entered  into  the  mouth 
of  the  great  Yang  Tse  River,  which,  in  its  mighty  flow,  carries  forevermore  the  yellow  sands  of 
the  vast  lands  through  which  it  flows,  a  full  100  miles  out  into  the  sea.  This  river  is  the  fourth 
largest  in  the  world  ;  and  its  delta,  of  o\  er  seventy-five  miles  long  and  in  places  over  forty  miles 
wide,  is  year  by  year  extending.  That  long,  low-lying  dark  line  which  lies  on  the  water  yonder 
on  our  port  side,  which  one  could  easily  mistake  for  a  shadow,  is  the  first  land  which  salutes  us 
as  we  head  on  towards  Shanghai.  An  hour  or  two  later,  we  discern  the  outlines  of  the  old 
walled  town  of  Woosung,  with  a  cjuaint  adobe  or  mud-colored  old  fort  on  our  right.  We  anchor 
a  half-hour  for  the  tide  to  so  rise  that  we  can  cross  the  liar.  At  tliis  point  we  leave  the  arm  of 
the  Vang  Tse  up  which  we  have  been  sailing,  and  enter  the  Woosung  River,  sailing  up  the  stream 
on  a  graceful  curve  for  twelve  miles  to  Shanghai. 

We  move  on  between  the  low,  flat,  uninteresting  shores,  in  such  melancholy  contrast  to  the 
ever  picturesque  lofty  shores  of  Japan  ;  having  become  accustomed  to  those  for  some  six  weeks 
past,  we  confess  to  being  spoiled  for  most  coast  scenery. 

"  Look,"  says  a  companion  at  my  right,  "  at  those  three  full-rigged,  graceful  brigs,"  following 
each  other  like  a  naval  column,  making  their  way  under  escort  of  tugs  out  to  sea.  "And  sec! 
they  each  float  the  stars  and  stripes  of  America ! "  and  a  few  moments  later,  as  they  meet  and 
glide  past  us,  graceful,  silent  and  cjueenly  as  swans,  gilded  by  the  western  sunset,  our  hearts 
glow  afresh  towards  the  far-off  home  which  our  country's  flag  brings  near  to  us. 

On  we  go  ;  and  now  the  great  black  forms  of  sea-going  steamers  —  German,  English,  French, 
Chinese  and  Japanese  —  begin  to  fill  the  stream.  Among  them,  on  our  left,  are  two  men-of-war, 
evidently  new,  flashing  with  the  jet  black  of  their  hulls,  rigged  to  perfection,  brilliant  signals 
flying  from  the  top-gallants.  Half-way  up  the  main  and  mizzen  masts  is  a  sort  of  turret  or  round 
tower  of  iron,  from  which,  in  the  event  of  being  captured  and  boarded,  a  few  daring  men  might 
fight  with  desperation,  and  virtually  clear  the  decks  of  a  capturing  force.  We  are  told  that  these 
glistening  new  war  ships,  equipped  with  the  best  of  cannon,  as  complete  as  they  can  be  made, 
are  only  specimens  of  a  numerous  and  constantly  growing  war  fleet,  which  some  near  day  will 
compel  to  a  reckoning  those  western  nations,  including  our  own,  which  with  impunity  are  smiting 
China  in  the  face. 


In  t/ic  Chinese  Iliiipirc. 


45 


What  arc  tluise  numerous  siiuill  lia\  ri(.k-lo()kin^  jjilcs  which  vvc  sec  yonder  over  the  shore  line, 
filling  square  miles  of  low  flat  laiuls,  as  if  they  were  i  huge  harvest-field  of  haymakers  on  the  flat 
lands  of  Northern  Indiana?  •'  Ah,"  says  an  old  China  missionary  at  my  left,  "  that  is  indeed  a 
harvest-field,  but  not  of  the  sweet  new-mown  hay  of  America.  The  reaper's  name  who  holds 
carnival  there  is  Death  ;  and  those  huge  mounds,  without  a  slab,  are  graves  ;  and  they  are  piled  so 
large  and  high  in  a  kind  of  rivalry,  which  the  people  exercise  to  emphasize  the  degree  of  honor 
which  they  bestow  on  their  dead  ancestors."  The  names  of  the  dead  arc  inscribed  on  tablets, 
kept  on  the  god-shelf  at  the  people's  homes;  and  these,  in  ever-increasing  numbers,  are  the  gods 
they  chiefly  worship. 

The  vestibule  to  China  through  which  we  are  passing  is,  then,  a  vestibule  of  death  ;  loathsome, 
made  revolting  in  the  extreme,  because  all  about  and  among  those  mounds,  and  on  the  river  banks 
as  we  move  on,  we  see,  not  merely  well-shaped  mounds,  but  numerous  bare,  unburied  coffins,  cov- 
ered over  only  with  a  matting  of  reeds,  because  the  friends  of  the  dead  are,  in  numerous  cases, 
too  poor  to  bury  them 
at  all :  and  so  the  cofiins 
lie  there  as  if  dropped 
on  the  way  to  burial,  to 
fester  in  the  sun  and 
breed  a  malaria  which, 
no  wonder,  often 
amounts  to  wide-spread 
pestilence.  If  this  be 
one  of  the  forecourts  of 
China,  what  must  the 
interior  be?  If  romance 
be  the  constraining 
motive  of  a  new  mis- 
sionary to  China,  it  will 
begin  to  perish  here. 
If,  however,  he  knows 
in  his  own  soul  the 
power  of  Christ's  resur- 
rection, and  is  on  fire 
with  a  divine  fuel  to 
impart  Christ's  vitality 

to  a  people  lying  more  putrid  than  was  Lazarus  in  his  rock  chamber,  this  corridor  of  death  through 
which  the  missionary  passes  up  the  VVoosung  River  will  nerve  him  to  declare  "Jesus  and  the 
resurrection,"  as  many  heroes  have  done  before  him,  through  the  great  cities  of  this  sepulchre 
empire  till  the  whole  land  shall  know  their  power,  and  the  shadow  of  death  shall  be  turned  into 
the  morning. 

The  "  Empire  Brewery,"  in  its  solid  stone  buildings  on  the  right  bank,  looks  as  if  it  did  not 


NLW  .SlIAXGIIAI. 


Jii  the  Cliincsc  linipirc. 


47 


doubt  its  call  to  China.  It  evidently  has  come  to  stay.  Those  two  great  yellow  opium  hulks, 
tloatin.t;  there  like  C()l)ras  with  deadly  fangs,  basking  in  the  sunset  glow,  have  no  thought  of  retreat- 
ing. They  seem  to  have  no  impa- 
tience, waiting  there  for  registry. 
They  can  wait  for  any  length  of  time, 
and  seem  to  say,  "  We'll  get  in  our 
work  yet,  and  never  you  mind. 
Don't  you  see  a  kind  of  first-fruit  of 
our  harvest  down  the  river  yonder? 
We  are  the  mound-builders  of  the 
present  age ;  not  the  age  of  stone, 
but  of  stony  hearts.  Some  of  those 
great  temples  of  commerce  yonder, 
in  the  English  concession,  beauti- 
ful and  sumptuous  as  the  palaces  of 
Venice,  sitting  enthroned  like  hers, 
on  thronged  canals,  behind  the  park, 
on  the  Ikind,  vibrant  with  the  strains 
of  an  English  band,  are  the  product 
and  the  apparatus  of  our  game  of 
death.  That  makes  our  game  re- 
spectable, and  we  count  that  an  offset  to  the  ghastly  mound-building  down  the  river."  Aye  !  and 
along  all  the  rivers,  and  over  all  the  hillsides  of  poor  opium-demented,  mammon-cursed  China. 

Our  vessel  —  the  "  Yokohama  Maru  "  —  sidles  up  to  her  moorings.  John  Chinaman  has  come 
out  by  the  thousand  to  see  us  land,  and  to  pick  up  a  few  "  cash  "  from  the  newly  arrived  "  foreign 
saints."  A  dozen  of  our  countrymen,  bronzed,  and  some  gray  in  the  service,  are  seen  among  the 
throng  to  welcome  the  meagre  reinforcement  to  their  mission  stations,  which,  thank  God,  the 
autumn  steamers  do  usually  bring.  No  representative  of  the  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union, 
alas  !  is  there.  A  Presbyterian  sister,  who  stands  at  my  side,  and  whose  home  is  here,  asks  : 
"  Do  you  see  that  tall,  serene-faced,  calm  man,  who  stands  with  arms  folded  (while  the  whole 
throng  is  a-howl  with  Chinese  voices),  in  native  costume  and  cue?  That  is  Mr.  Herring,  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Board.  We  call  him  '  Our  Mr.  Herring.'  We  all  claim  him.  He's  so  nice  !  " 
A  few  moments  more,  and  he  comes  on  board,  commissioned  by  Mr.  Goddard  of  Ningpo  to 
meet  me  ;  a  "  rikisha  "  is  called,  and,  bag  and  baggage,  I  am  taken  as  a  brother  to  his  own  home, 
near  the  "  Old  North  Gate"  of  the  wall  of  the  native  city.  Here  stands  the  mission-house  built 
and  occupied  for  nearly  forty  years  by  the  lamented  Dr.  Yates.  Alongside  of  it  now  is  another, 
occupied  by  the  Coiiipaiiion  missionary,  Brother  Tatum  ;  while  just  near  the  corner,  opposite,  is 
the  substantial  stone  chapel,  long  used  by  the  devoted  missionaries  at  this  post. 

The  evening  tea  over,  the  chapel  bell  began  its  call  to  worshippers.  Brother  Herring  was  to 
have  a  service,  "  not  of  the  church  at  all,"  he  said,  "  ljut  for  outsiders  —  the  heathen  —  for  whom- 
soever may  come  —  a  service  we  have  three  times  weekly."    Tired  as  I  was  from  the  voyage  and 


OLD  NORTH  GATE,   SI  1  AXf ,HAI. 


48 


In  BrigJttest  Asia. 


the  excitement  of  six  busy  weeks  in  Japan,  I  resolved,  on  tliat  first  night  on  the  sliores  of  China, 
to  see  what  kind  of  a  service  this  would  be.  We  went  to  the  chapel.  A  simple  hymn  was  sung, 
a  few  people  at  a  time  coming  in  as  we  sang,  until  forty-five  persons,  men  and  women — some 
smoking  pipes  —  came  in,  crowding  to  the  front  seats;  and  then  our  dear  brother,  taking  the 
great  commission  for  a  text,  proceeded  to  talk  to  those  poor  souls  with  fluency  and  warmth,  in  a 
winning,  smiling,  tender  way,  that  even  though,  as  in  my  case,  not  a  word  was  understood, 
would  have  convinced  a  sphinx  that  he  had  the  greatest  and  divinest  message  on  earth  to  tell. 
It  is  an  inspiration  to  hear  a  man,  after  being  only  five  years  in  a  country,  stand  up  and  preach 
to  a  people  in  their  own  tongue,  like  a  native,  and  for  a  half-hour  to  observe  him  winning  on 
his  congregation  at  every  stroke.  To  me,  I  confess  also,  that  it  was  no  drawback  that  he  spoke 
with  the  Chinese  cap  on,  with  the  long  braid  down  his  back,  especially  as  I  considered  that  his 
hearers  saw  in  him  a  representative  of  Christ ;  a  man  at  one  with  themselves,  both  in  inward  sym- 
pathy and  outward  form. 

I  heard  of  a  young  woman  in  Minnesota,  a  sister  of  one  of  our  missionaries  in  China,  who, 
when  she  saw  a  photograph  of  her  brother  in  his  Chinese  costume,  almost  fainted.  Some  said, 
"Cruel!"  Knowing  the  spirit  of  men  like  these,  I  have  been  led  to  think  otherwise.  How 
think  ye  God  the  Father's  heart  must  have  fainted  —  aye,  broke  !  when  He  saw  His  only  begotten 
Son  in  garb  of  our  human  race?  There  certainly  is  no  merit  or  value  in  any  outward  dress  for 
its  own  sake ;  but  if  for  Christ's  sake  and  love  of  the  heathen,  and  increased  ability  to  get  near 
them,  it  be  worn,  what  then?    Is  not  "  Wisdom  justified  of  her  children?" 

Following  Brother  Herring's  talk,  a  big  square-rigged  Chinese  brother — pastor  of  the  mission 
at  Soo  Chow,  one  of  seven  choice  men  trained  by  Dr.  Yates  —  rose,  and  gave  us  twenty  minutes 
more  in  a  similar  vein.  I  cannot  say  which  used  the  better  Chinese.  I  an^  sure  they  were  each 
en  rapport  with  the  other  and  with  their  Iiearers.  Thus  ended  my  first  evening  in  China,  and  I 
am  ready  for  more  of  the  same  sort. 

yr)'zv)<^\)3.\  as  a  Ba8<^  of  Operations. 

Pending  my  trip  up  the  Vang  Tse,  I  found  opportunity  to  look  into  the  many-sided  work  of 
other  societies  than  our  own.  Aly  first  introduction,  as  I  have  intimated,  was  to  the  work  of  our 
Southern  brethren.  Stations  have  been  established  at  Hangchow,  .Soo  Chow  and  Ching  Kiang, 
as  well  as  at  Shanghai. 

Dr.  Yates  was  the  pioneer  of  this  mission,  a  Xorth  Carolina  man ;  and  five  of  the  families  out 
of  the  six  now  working  in  the  mission  were  recruited  from  North  Carolina.  Dr.  Yates  labored 
here  for  forty  years,  and  left  behind  him  a  stable  church  of  some  seventy  members,  several  well- 
trained  native  preachers,  and  the  beginnings  of  work  in  the  out-stations  named.  His  contribu- 
tions to  the  literature  of  Chinese  missions  were  considerable,  and  of  a  high  quality. 

One  of  the  notable  trophies  of  Dr.  Yates'  work  is  a  character  known  as  Deacon  Wang. 
This  man  w^as  an  early  convert,  and  by  many  years  of  consistent  living  he  has  proved  his  genuine 
devotion  to  Christ.  At  the  time  of  his  conversion,  he  was  a  rice  dealer.  He  was  at  once  met 
with  the  question  whether  he  should  observe  the  Sabbath.    This  is  one  of  the  crucial  questions 


Jn  tlic  Chinese  Jiiiipirc. 


49 


to  a  Chinaman,  to  whom  all  days  of  the  week  arc  alike  ceiuall)-  profane.  He  came  to  the  mission- 
ary for  counsel.  11c,  of  cour.se,  could  give  him  but  one  direction:  "Close  up  your  shop  on 
Saturday  night.    I'ut  upon  your  door,  '  Rest  day  ;  come  to-morrow."  " 

Wang  hesitated  and  struggled.  He  knew  lie  would  lose  trade,  for  a  time  at  least.  He  how- 
ever decided  rightly.  For  a  time,  of  course,  his  customers  fell  oft".  Some  derided  him,  but  he 
persevered,  even  though  he  lost  much,  and  came  into  straits.  Finally,  however,  the  scales  began 
to  turn ;  his  strict  honesty  and  consistency  had  gained  him  confidence  with  country  dealers  who 
came  in  along  the  canals,  bringing  boatloads  of  their  rice  for  sale.  In  time  these  dealers,  arriving 
Saturday  niglit  at  market,  were  willing  to  wait  over  till  Monday  for  the  sake  of  dealing  with  Wang, 
because  they  knew  his  quotation  of  prices  would  be  so  fair  and  his  honor  was  without  challenge. 
This  good  name  soon  brought  great  prosperity,  and  Wang  became  rich.  He  at  length  retired 
froni  business  with  a  competence.    He  has  contributed  largely  to  missions. 

A  few  years  since  he  bought  in  the  old  city  of  Shanghai  some  land,  and  built  thereon  a  com- 
modious chapel,  all  at  his  own  expense ;  and  for  years  he  has  himself  preached  there  week-days 
and  Sundays  to  multitudes  of  his  countrymen.  He  is  now  an  old  man.  His  large  and  imp(>^ing 
presence  in  the  church  last  Sunday  impressed  me  deeply  before  I  knew  who  he  was.  In  the 
afternoon  I  went  to  hear  hini  in  his  own  chapel.  How  his  face  beamed  behind  his  great  eye- 
glasses with  tortoise-shell  bows,  as 
he  both  preached  and  sang  the  re- 
demption story !  The  Chinaman  can 
be  Christianized,  and  become  like- 
wise a  chosen  vessel  to  others. 
Wang  is  the  demonstration. 

Next  to  the  missions  of  our 
Southern  brethren,  I  was  desirous 
of  seeing  the  headquarters  of  the 
China  Inland  Mission,  also  in  Shang- 
hai. I  had  heard  in  America  of  the 
splendid  new  building,  the  gift  of 
the  friends,  and  in  part  of  the  mis- 
sionaries themselves,  of  this  mis- 
sion. I  was  scarcely  prepared  to  see 
so  ample  and  fine  accommodations, 
and  such  a  beehive  of  varied  activ- 
ities. 

The  buildings  stand  on  three  sides  of  a  large  quadrangle.  Along  the  front  are  several  mission- 
houses,  built  in  a  row,  some  three  stories  in  height.  In  the  centre  is  a  spacious  hall  for  public 
meetings.  Here,  also,  a  prayer  meeting  is  held  weekly  on  Saturday  nights.  On  one  side  of  the 
quadrangle,  facing  inward,  is  a  row  of  apartments,  including  parlors,  dining-rooms,  offices,  mail- 
ing and  shipping  rooms,  etc.,  with  conveniences  for  the  temporary  living  and  lodgment  of  some 
forty  missionaries  in  transit  to  and  from  their  stations,  or  who  may  come  in  for  periodic  rest.  On 


HEADQUARTERS  CHINA  INLAND  MISSION. 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


a  third  side  of  the  quach-anglc  are  rcionis  for  the  temporary  accommodation  of  nati\  e  workers  who 
may  come  in  from  time  to  time.    Here  they  can  board  themselves,  doing  their  own  cooking, 

spreading  their  mats,  etc. 
The  whole  establishment 
looks  like  business,  I  assure 
you.  I  received  most  cordial 
attention  from  Mr.  Steven- 
son, the  deputy  superintend- 
ent in  charge,  and  other  mis- 
sionaries, and  found  I  was 
there  not  wholly  unknown, 
from  my  relations  to  Dr. 
Guinness,  and  from  my  arti- 
cles in  Regions  Beyond. 

When  you  add  to  the 
facilities  here  reared  two 
training-schools  for  all  new 
arrivals, —  one  for  men  at  Gan 
King,  and  one  for  women  at 
Yang  Chow, — and  also  at  Che- 
foo,  in  Northern  China,  a  first- 
class  boarding-school  for  their 
own  children,  also  largely  pat- 
ronized by  English  civil-service  people,  you  will  see  that  this  is  a  most  thorough-going  institution. 

Those  who  suppose  that  this  mission  is  ephemeral  or  lacks  organization,  are  greatly  misled. 
That  God\s  blessing  is  signally  upon  it 
also,  especially  as  a  pioneering  agency 
in  opening  up  the  interior  places,  is 
beyond  a  doubt.    For  example,  we 
Baptists  have  supposed  we  were  doing 
a  heroic  thing  in  placing  in  Szchuen 
two  missionaries  ;  the  C.  I.  M.  have  in 
that  same  province  forty-seven.  True, 
some  of  their  most  excellent  workers 
are  inclining  to  come,  after  a  season, 
into  relation  to   our   denominational  ' 
boards.    This,  too,  is  well,  both  for ' 
them  and  us. 

Still  other  societies  have  strong 
agencies  in  Shanghai,  such  as  the  Lon- 
don Missionarv  Societv,  with  its  veteran 


STREET  IN  SHANCIIA! 


CHINESE  CARRIAGE. 


///  the  Chinese  IZiiipire. 


51 


representative,  Mr.  IVFuirliead,  pastor  over  a  Iarjj;e  llock,  aiul,  thougli  having  readied  fourscore 
years,  still  evangelizing  with  ardor  and  power.  Then  there  is  the  work  of  the  American  Congre- 
gationalists  and  the  Presbyterians,  with  their  great  and  influential  press  and  their  large  schools 
and  hospitals  ;  the  college  of  the  American  Methodists,  under  Dr.  Allen  —  the  Jupiter  Tonans  as 
an  advocate  of  high  views  of  educational  agencies  to  the  higher  classes  if  we  are  ever  to  convert 
China.  The  Church  Missionary  Society  is  here  in  force.  A  great  cathedral  adorns  one  of  the 
finest  squares  in  the  Mnglish  concession.  The  Seventh  Day  Adventists,  with  schools  and  a  hos- 
pital, are  scarcely  behind  any.  The  Bible  societies,  both  British  and  American,  are  eminently 
aggressive  and  successful,  selling  through  their  numerous  colporters  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
Bibles  annually  for  hard  Chinese  cash. 

With  all  these  varied  agencies,  Shanghai  would  seem  verily  a  modern  Antioch  of  strategic 
influence  for  the  spread  of  the  gospel  through  the  "  Middle  Kingdom." 

May  the  Spirit  of  all  power  give  the  gospel  wing ! 


JUNK,  IXLAND  .SEA. 


52  In  Brightest  Asia. 


CHArTKR  VI. 


5l7<?  Ea5t(^r9  ^17193  (T\i5sic9. 


^   poot-Boat  5rip. 


Inland  6o  Miles  from  XrXGPo,  Oct.  24,  1890. 

IF  you  could  now  take  me  in  in  your  vision,  you  would  think  I  had  reached  heathendom  indeed. 
I  am  trying  to  write  sitting  in  the  bottom  of  my  boat,  —  a  boat  about  sixteen  feet  long  and 
four  feet  wide,  covered  with  several  sections  of  mats  bent  over  bamboo  bows,  to  protect 
from  sun  and  weather.  My  baggage  and  bedding,  and  a  few  conveniences  for  our  workers 
living  up  the  river,  fill  a  part  of  the  boat.  My  bunk  of  comforters  occupies  the  centre,  on  which 
I  sit ;  and  at  the  stern,  on  a  high  seat,  is  my  boatman,  propelling  with  his  feet  the  cylinder-shaped 
craft,  tapering  at  each  end.  There  the  fellow  sits  bolt  upright ;  and  with  both  feet  on  the  handle 
of  the  oar,  so  arranged  that  the  feet  will  not  slip  off,  he  manages,  by  a  deft  use  of  his  legs, 
acquired  through  much  practice,  to  put  the  whole  strength  of  his  limbs,  and  body  as  well,  on  that 
oar.    Then,  in  order  that  the  boat  may  not  swing  around,  he  carries  a  paddle  under  his  right 

arm,  with  which  he  steers  the  craft. 
Nor  is  this  all  of  the  ingenious  man's 
accomplishments.  When  he  desires 
to  make  time  (for  these  /Vw/nnan  cars 
of  the  Celestials  rarely  stop  for  re- 
freshments), having  both  hands  free, 
he  is  able  to  sit  there,  and,  with  his 
bowl  of  rice  and  chopsticks,  take  his 
dinner,  while  with  his  feet  he  dili- 
gently pushes  away  as  if  turning  a 
crank.  My  companion,  Brother  God- 
dard,  has  another  craft  of  the  same 
kind,  except  that  his  being  a  little 
larger,  we  call  it  the  grand  saloon, 
and  at  meal-times  I  draw  up  along- 
side, and  by  a  careful  movement  — 
which,  if  not  well  managed,  may  up- 
set both  boats  —  I  jump  into  his  boat, 
and  we  take  our  meals  together.  He  is  an  "  old  hand"  at  this  kind  of  travel,  and  has  the  com- 
pletest  outfit  of  dishes  and  equipments  of  all  sorts  with  which  to  do  it  well. 


FOOT-BOAT. 


TIic  It  a  stern  C/i/f/a  M/ss/on. 


53 


We  are  oil"  for  Sliaoliin,<j;,  loo  miles  inhiDcl,  to  visil  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Jenkins,  and  also  I'.rother 
Adams,  who  has  come  in  from  Kinliwa,  200  miles  farther  on,  in  ortler  to  meet  us.  It  is  a  novel 
trip,  I  assure  you,  and  full  of  interest.  We  are  moving  through  a  great  plain  of  ten  miles  or  so 
in  width,  through  wliich  canals  run  in  a  great  net-work;  and  away  on  each  side  stretch  low 
ranges  of  barren  mountains.     V'illages  fill  the  region,  and  line  the  banks  of  these  can.ils  at 


WAYSIDE  INN. 


intervals.  Boats  loaded  with  cotton,  wood  and  bamboo,  and  journeying  people,  are  coming- 
and  going.  We  are  just  now  passing  a  heathen  Buddhist  temple,  marked  by  the  reddish  paint 
which  sparsely  covers  it,  as  well  as  by  its  size  and  quality  —  far  superior  to  the  poor,  squalid  and 
dreary-looking  homes,  if  homes  they  can  be  called.  This  temple  is  only  one  of  scores  we  are 
passing  all  day  long. 

This  morning  about  7  o'clock,  we  drew  up  at  the  landing  of  a  considerable  town  to  rest  our 
boatman  a  little,  and  while  waiting  walked  out  into  the  town  and  visited  the  little  Presbyteriaa 
chapel.  A  poor  sort  of  a  chapel  we  should  call  it  —  not  more  expensive  than  a  good  wood- 
house  at  home,  with  nothing  for  the  people  to  sit  on  but  rude  benches,  like  saw-horses,  without 
backs  ;  and  it  was  very  small,  seating  perhaps  thirty  persons.  The  thing  itself  would  have  been 
contemptible  as  a  building  in  my  eyes,  but  for  what  I  saw  in  three  persons  in  connection  with  it. 
The  first  was  a  bright  old  man  near  the  landing  as  we  came  off  the  boat,  who  showed  us  the  way 
with  evident  pride,  and  who  at  once  had  recognized  Mr.  Goddard  as  the  "  Jesus-doctrine-man. 
The  ne.xt  was  an  old  woman,  looking  feeble  and  forlorn,  who,  in  response  to  a  subsequent  inquiry 
of  Mr.  Goddard's  as  to  the  location  of  the  chapel,  at  once,  with  an  explosive  exclamation,  as  if 
we  had  touched  powder  with  a  torch,  nodded  assent,  clapped  her  hands  upon  her  breast,  and. 


54 


In  BrigJitest  Asia. 


sayinjj,  —  in  Chinese,  of  course, —  '■  I  am  a  member  of  that  church  !"  started  otT  on  a  trot  to 
show  us  the  place.  Arriving  tliere,  she  rattled  away  at  the  doors  and  windows  of  the  house  of 
the  native  elder  who  is  in  charge,  until  she  brought  him  out.  We  went  in  and  sat  down ;  and 
shortly  the  elder,  witii  a  handsome  face,  in  clean  clothing  and  so  bright  an  eye,  came  in,  ordered 
the  usual  tea  to  be  brought,  and  he  and  Mr.  Goddard  had  a  chat  about  the  good  work.  If  I  had 
seen  in  China  nothing  but  the  scene  of  this  morning,  though  I  have  seen  vastly  more  and  higher 
manifestations  of  transforming  influence,  I  should  say  that  this  work  is  not  in  vain.  Bear  in 
mind  that  this  place  I  have  referred  to  is  only  one  of  the  little  out-stations  of  a  score  or  two  of 
churches  in  this  immediate  district.  Mr.  Goddard  read  for  me  the  text  which  hung  behind  the 
pulpit,  "  For  there  is  one  God  and  one  Mediator,  Jesus  Christ."  If  there  were  nothing  but  that 
there,  it  continually  preaches  what  this  great  people  need  to  know. 

^  f^'i9(?po  J^oujel^old. 

You  are  wondering  how  about  Miss  Inveen,  Miss  Corbin  and  .Miss  Stewart,  who  are  such 
important  factors  in  the  work  there,  and  among  whom  your  own  dear  Miss  Parker  is  so  soon  to 
begin  work.  Well,  there  they  are,  as  busy  as  bees,  and  as  happy  as  possible,  I  judge,  in  the 
good  work  that  appears  to  absorb  them.  I  am  witness  to  it,  for  yesterday  I  sat  at  their  dinner 
table  in  the  house  which  Dr.  Lord  (while  consul)  built  at  a  cost  of  $5,000,  and  then  at  his  death 
turned  over,  with  other  valuable  property,  to  the  Missionary  Union.  You  ma.y  recall  that  Miss 
Corbin  came  from  the  church  of  which  I  was  first  pastor,  in  Rockford,  111.  Miss  Inveen  I  had  met 
and  heard  speak  in  Minnesota.  It  did  seem  like  a  dream  to  find  myself  now  really  among  them 
in  China !  Of  course  we  talked  up  all  the  dear  Minnesota  people  and  the  churches  we  had  sev- 
erally loved  there  ;  and  with  a  fine  photograph  of  "  Uncle  Boston  "  and  his  family  in  a  group  hang- 
ing on  the  wall,  smiling  down  on  us  so  genially,  it  did  seem  as  if  we  were  all  children  again 
in  our  gladness.  We  could  almost  hear  Uncle  Boston  say:  "  Now,  boys  and  girls,  if  you'll 
keep  still  long  enough.  Til  tell  you  a  story."  Well,  it  was  a  Minnesota  day,  in  the  course  of 
which  the  Western  China  Mission  and  the  coming  reinforcements  due  by  the  next  steamer, 
"  The  China,"  etc.,  all  came  in  for  glowing  comment.  It  did  seem  a  pity  we  couldn't  have  Miss 
Parker  (so  soon  to  arrive)  with  us,  but  I  hope  yet  to  greet  her  on  her  arrival  at  Shanghai.  I 
have  at  least  witnessed  the  home  in  which  she  is  to  live,  the  promising  school  of  girls  in  which 
she  will  begin  to  teach,  the  women's  school,  the  hospital,  the  boys'  school,  in  all  of  which  she 
will  find  deep  interest,  and  I  have  seen  the  people  living  there  within  the  hoary  battlemented 
walls  of  a  heathen  city,  which  will  move  her  heart  to  a  compassion  such  as  no  scene  she  ever 
looked  upon  before  has  awakened.  I  am  now  visiting  the  outlying  native  churches  and  fields 
with  w-hich  she  will  become  helpfully  familiar.  May  God  brace  her  for  what  she  is  to  meet, — a 
moral  darkness  and  dearth  that  can  be  felt. 


5t?aol?iQ<$.  October  28. 

Mr.  Goddard  and  I  are  to-day  on  the  return  trip  from  Shaohing.  We  have  had  five  days  of 
it  out  on  this  route,  and  it  will  take  to-day  and  to-night  besides  to  bring  us  back  to  Ningpo.  We 


The  J£astcrn  China  ^fission. 


55 


LEANING  PAGODA  AT  NINGPO. 


56 


In  JBrightcst  Asia. 


stopped  with  Mr.  antl  Mrs.  Jenkins  at  Siiaoliing.  They  have  been  thirty  years  in  this  region,  and 
they  are  vigorous  still,  and  working  away  with  unabated  zeal.  Mr.  J.  has,  besides  his  evangelistic 
work  in  several  stations,  a  training-school  for  preachers,  having  seven  students  with  him  at  ]5res- 
ent.  Mr.  Adams  and  his  eleven-year-old  son,  Arthur,  came  in  from  Kinhwa,  and  we  all  had  a 
great  visit  together.  Mr.  Adams  was  one  of  Dr.  Guinness'  first  students,  was  several  years  with 
the  C.  I.  M.  in  Bhamo,  Burma,  and  also  with  that  mission  in  China  for  one  year.  He  joined  our 
mission  about  eight  years  ago,  and  has  proved  one  of  our  very  best  workers,  having  built  up  good 
strong  stations  all  about  him. 

On  Sunday  afternoon,  he,  Mr.  Goddard  and  I  started  out  through  the  city  to  visit  two  or  three 
of  the  native  preaching-places  —  little,  cheaply  fitted  up  sheds  of  affairs,  with  a  clay  floor,  and  a 
few  rude  seats  like  saw-horses.  We  needed  no  church  bell  or  other  attractions  than  our  sensa- 
tional selves.  For  attracting  a  crowd  in  a  real  wild  Chinese  town  or  city,  nothing  can  surpass  a 
procession  of  three  foreigners.  We  had  a  train  equal  to  that  of  small  boys  which  streams  after 
one  of  Buffalo  Bill's  Wild  West  shows,  only  our  crowd  was  made  up  of  men,  women  and  boys  ; 
and  with  exclamations  of  all  sorts  they  were  commenting  on  our  ridiculousness  of  hats,  shoes, 
coats,  neckties,  etc.  As  we  reached  chapel  after  chapel, —  even  though,  as  in  one  case,  the  meet- 
ing had  not  begun,  or  as  in  another,  though  the  meeting  had  closed  and  the  doors  also,  —  we 
had  but  to  simpl}- open  them,  walk  in,  turn  around  and  begin.  Our  audience  was  there;  we 
brought  it  with  us ;  several  of  them.  Several  times,  likewise,  the  audience  changed  while  the 
meeting  went  on.  They  came  and  went  without  reference  to  pauses  in  the  programme.  We 
really  came  to  the  latter  meeting  to  see  the  service  and  hear  one  of  the  students  preach  ;  but  as 
he  had  finished,  and  we  had  our  crowd,  likewise  two  preachers  of  our  own  who  knew  Chinese  as 
well  as  English,  I  set  them  at  it,  — first  Goddard  and  then  Adams.  I  could  only  silently  pray, 
and  I  never  felt  more  like  it  in  my  life,  as  these  two  earnest  and  tactful  brethren  poured  the  truth 
into  them.  Many  gave  good  attention.  One  big  earnest  fellow  interrupted,  saying,  "  What  you 
say  is  true  enough,  but  we  are  unable  to  do  the  thing  you  require."  This  gave  Brother  Goddard 
a  new  opportunity  to  nail  his  audience  to  a  fresh  attention  by  explaining  what  grace  enables  the 
sinner  to  do.  Brother  Adams  got  hold  of  the  children  especially,  a  dozen  of  whom  stood  up 
before  him,  and  took  his  simply  illustrated  points  as  keenly  as  one  of  "  Uncle  Boston's  "  meetings 
would,  and  with  as  much  roguish  twinkle  in  the  eyes.  These  len-minute  sermonettes,  composed 
on  the  spot,  being  ended,  Brother  Adams  got  out  a  bundle  of  tracts,  which  were  taken  like  hot- 
cakes,  and  we  went  on  our  way,  never  to  meet  those  souls  again  till  the  judgment,  but  thankful 
for  even  this  slight  contact  with  them.  But  oh,  they  are  so  wretched  in  their  moral  disease  and 
swinishness  ;  and  they  love  it,  for  aught  I  can  see,  just  as  tenaciously  as  the  civilized  millionnaire 
at  home  loves  his  environment. 

Going  up  and  down  these  rivers  and  canals,  lined  on  both  sides  with  numberless  villages, 
surrounded  by  the  yellow  rice-fields,  villages  in  which  the  bronzed,  blue-calico  clothed  (rather 
ragged  than  clothed),  hatless  distortions  and  monstrosities  of  humanity  swarm,  I  have  seen  much 
to  move  the  heart.  Rooted  in  their  ages  of  inherited  bias,  vice  and  animalism,  filled  with  a  mass 
of  superstition  which  religiously  forbids  change  even  of  the  most  worthless  or  injurious  things 
about  them  (like,  e.  g.,  the  removal  of  an  old  rotting  boat  hulk  from  a  canal  channel),  or  even  to 


T/ic  Jiastcrii   i  liiiia  Mission. 


57 


rescue  a  coniijanion  from  diowniiii;,  lest  tlicy  should  (jft'eiul  tlnir  I''uny  Sliway,  or  s])irit  of  good 
luck,  and  thus  awaken  liis  ill  w  ill  and  bring  on  dire  calamities,  liow  shall  they  e\er  he  rescued 
from  such  a  state  ? 
Surely  only  tlu- 
power  of  a  super- 
natural gospel  can 
reach  them.  And 
yet  most  potential 
beginnings  are 
made,  and  we  can- 
not doubt  that  the 
long  nightmare  of 
ages  is  about  to 
vanish.  China  is 
late  in  waking,  but 
wake  she  must 
and  will. 

fK  |v/oted  So/nb. 

While  at  .Shao- 
hing  we  made  a 
l^ilgrimage  to  the 
tomb  of  Yii  the 
Great,  with  whom 
authentic  Chinese 
history  begins. 
He   lived  2200 

years  B.  C.  Noah's  period  was  2800  B.  C.  This  is  the  oldest  historic  tomb  on  earth!  There 
is  an  image  representative  of  the  old  fellow — Sinim's  emperor  —  and  also  of  several  of  his  cour- 
tiers about  him,  and  an  old  temple  of  remarkably  fine  architectural  features  on  the  spot.  We 
didn't  see  any  of  his  bones,  nor  get  any  locks  of  his  hair,  nor  a  tooth  ;  but  we  are  sure  that  this 
sanctuary  marks  the  burial-place  of  a  monarcli  older  even  than  Rameses  of  Egypt  —  older  than 
Abraham. 

Leaving  the  tomb,  we  ascended  also  a  famous  mountain  which  overlooks  the  spot,  — one  of 
myriad  peaks  of  the  mountain  range  Iving  away  to  the  southwest.  It  was  a  tough  climb,  right 
up  1,500  feet  to  a  crag  of  frightfully  small  proportions  which  caps  the  summit,  and  on  which 
stands  a  Buddhist  temple,  called  the  Temple  of  the  Holy  Incense  Pot.  But  what  a  view  rewarded 
our  climb  !  On  the  southwest  a  mountain  range  of  great  variety  of  form,  with  numberless 
cosey  coves  and  terraced  slopes,  ripe  with  harvests  nestling  in  the  long  narrow  defiles.  Away  to 
the  east  the  Hang  Chow  Bay,  an  arm  of  the  sea,  say  tweniy  miles  distant,  makes  into  the  land, 


TOMB  OF   \  l  ,   THE  GREAT  —  GRILAT-GRANDSOX  OF  NOAH. 


Jn  Brightest  Asia. 


over  whicli  a  hazy  mist  is  floaling.  A  vast  ijl.iin  stretches  out  on  all  sides  northward  as  far  as  the 
eve  can  reach,  fairly  golden  with  waving  rice  harvests.  Through  and  through  this  mighty  jilain 
run  canals  in  an  intricate  net-work,  the  lines  of  which,  glancing  silvern  in  the  sunligiit,  cannot  be 
counted  for  number.  They  out-Holland  Holland.  There  are  literally  no  roads  except  the  paths 
on  the  canal  banks.  All  traffic  is  conveyed  by  boats  only.  Never  a  wagon  is  seen,  nor  a  horse  ; 
occasionally  a  burtalo  or  a  bullock  hauls  a  load.  Trees  stud  the  plain,  and  sometimes  adorn  the 
canal  banks.  These  now  are  dressed  in  autumn  tints;  only  instead  of  our  maple,  the  brilliant 
foliage  is  that  of  the  tallow  tree.  From  the  berries  of  this  tree  the  natives  actually  obtain  a  vege- 
table tallow  from  which  they  make  their  candles.  The  trees  not  standing  on  the  canals  usually 
mark  tombs,  and  of  tliese  the  whole  district  possesses  a  multitude.  The  mountain-sides  are 
embossed  with  hillocks  and  mounds  wherein  for  4,000  years  these  descendants  of  the  great  Yii 
have  been  laid  in  common  dust  with  their  still  mortal  though  vaunted  monarch. 

Still  keeping  in  mind  our  landscape,  we  see  rising  sheer  out  of  the  great  flat  plain  in  occasional 
districts  a  great  isolated  mountain  form,  bold  and  precipitous,  like  those  about  Edinljurgh, 
giving  a  touch  of  majesty  to  all.  Scattered  throughout  the  whole  scene,  and  to  be  numljercd 
only  by  the  hundreds,  are  cities,  towns  and  villages  wherein  dwell  actually  an  aggregate  of  mil- 
lions of  human  souls.    The  walls  of  the  houses  are  white  ;  the  tiled  roofs  are  uniformly  Ijlack. 

In  every  city  and  town  your  eye  takes  in,  you  can  discern  the  always  conspicuous  red  or  yel- 
low walls  of  a  building  which  is  sure  to  be  a  temple  or  ancestral  hall,  in  which  the  idolatry  of  the 
place  stalks  ghastly  and  grim  as  death  itself.  The  dust  of  ages  and  the  filth  of  birds  fill  all  the 
shrines ;  the  mould  of  damp  is  rotting  the  very  fibre  of  the  wooden  images  or  corroding  those  of 
brass  ;  the  squeaks  of  bats  by  the  thousand  are  heard  among  the  cornices  and  in  the  interstices  of  the 
elaborate  framing  of  the  richly  decorated  but  rotting  rafters  ;  and  death  and  doom  are  in  and  through 
and  on  the  whole  satanic  fabric.  Here  on  this  mount,  as  on  another  Mount  Carmel,  for  us  four  mis- 
sionaries of  the  cross,  with  this  vast  panorama  before  us,  was  a  place  for  prayer.  Never  again 
on  that  spot  should  we  four  thus  meet.  We  felt  the  challenge  rising  to  us  from  the  plain,  vocal 
with  the  woes  of  heathenism,  and  reiterated  from  the  priests  of  Baal  who,  in  the  temple  on  the 
summit  hard  by  us,  hoodwink  the  deluded  myriads  that  annually  flock  to  this  high  place.  Shall 
Baal  thus  forever  triumph?  It  cannot,  must  not  be.  So  there  we  uncover,  and  two  of  our  num- 
ber, appealing  once  more  to  the  Lord  God  of  Elijah,  plead  that  God  may  speedily  among  our  score 
or  more  of  flocklets  in  the  East  China  Mission — -from  Ningpo  to  Kinhwa  —  answer  by  fire,  and 
prove  that  He  is  God.  It  was  a  high  hour  in  our  lives  on  that  October  clay.  With  heaven 
to  witness,  with  bending  angels  listening  near,  with  the  whole  mountain  filled,  we  doubt  not, 
with  the  chariots  and  horsemen  of  the  true  God,  our  prayer  at  least  was  registered  in  behalf  of 
the  souls  dwelling  in  that  vast  and  beautiful  Shaohing  plain.  It  was  something  to  have  looked 
upon  them  from  that  mount,  and  to  at  least  have  wept  over  them  for  Jesus'  sake.  May  God  give 
the  tongues  of  fire  to  preach  to  them,  and  win  them  to  Jesus'  love,  and  that  right  speedily ! 


up  the  I'lDig-tsc-Kiang. 


59 


CHAPTKR  VII. 

dp  tl7G  Va9(5-t5e-l(ia9(5. 

l/ijit  to  l^aQ^iQcJ. 

Xovember  7. 

P  the  Yang-tse  River  a  day  and  a  night's  sail  by  steamer,  on  the  left  bank,  stands  the 
historic  old  city  of  Nanking.  It  was  the  capital  of  the  Chinese  empire,  under  the 
Ming  dynasty  from  1368  to  1644;  and  in  some  sense  it  is  the  southern  capital  still, 
a  viceroy  over  three  provinces  having  his  official  seat  there.  From  our  sclioolboy 
days  we  had  contracted  a  sentimental  interest  in  the  city  of  the  famous  Porcelain  Tower,  now, 
alas  !  completely  effaced  by  the  ravages  incident  to  the  Taiping  War. 

The  history  of  this  war  being  also  fresh  in  mind,  from  a  recent  reading  of  the  life  of  Gen- 
eral Chinese  Gordon  and  his  connection  therewith,  had  deepened  our  desire  to  see  the  place. 
We  were  therefore  not  slow  to  accept  the  invitation  of  two  missionary  friends  whom  we  met  in 
Shanghai,  to  go  with  them  on  their  return  to  Nanking,  the  city  of  their  labors. 

We  arrived  at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning ;  and  while  waiting  for  daylight,  when  we  could 
engage  small  boats  for  transporting  us  up  a  canal  five  miles  to  the  city  gates,  we  had  an  experi- 
ence of  being  huddled  together  with  about  300  noisy,  turbulent  Chinese,  on  board  the  great 
landing-hulk. 

For  two  hours  we  were  in  this  babel,  with  nothing  to  do  but  to  take  in  the  scenes,  listen  to 
the  hubbub  over  the  distributions  of  baggage  as  it  was  put  ashore,  and  absorb  the  smells.  I 
had  been  led  to  think  that  because  the  Chinaman  is  constitutionally  and  from  training  a  con- 
servative, he  was  therefore  a  stolid  and  immobile  sort  of  creature  —  a  sphinx,  in  fact,  who  may 
sit  and  smile  and  smile,  but  who  never  breaks  the  silence  if  he  can  help  it.  But  ah  !  miserable 
delusion  !  These  Chinese  in  their  native  air,  with  nothing  in  the  world  to  do  but  to  walk  off  the 
plank  of  a  steamer  and  to  wait,  each  sitting  on  his  luggage  or  taking  a  nap  on  the  floor  of  the 
hulk,  wrapped  in  his  blanket,  for  two  slow,  drawling  hours,  were  howling  like  dervishes,  without 
a  moment  of  let-up.  For  excitement  and  a  generally  rattled  condition,  they  exceeded  a  Don- 
nybrook  fair  or  a  stack  of  Kilkenny  cats.  If  a  fellow  sang  out  an  idea  of  any  sort,  a  dozen 
voices  would  repeat  it.  Others  would  re-echo  these.  Any  unlooked-for  incident  was  the  signal 
for  a  fresh  outbreak.  In  an  accident  we  are  told  the  Chinaman  loses  his  head  sooner  than  a 
Frenchman.  The  Chinaman  may  be  a  conservative ;  but  it  is  settled  for  us  that  in  his  native 
haunts  he  is  never  reserved,  when  there  is  half  a  chance  to  go  off  the  handle. 

At  daybreak  we  are  off  up  the  canal,  amid  a  perfect  swarm  of  oared  boats  of  every  sort. 
These  boats  are  as  a  rule  unpainted  ;  and  when  new  and  glistening  with  oil  or  varnish,  finishing 


6o 


In  13  right  est  Asia. 


the  handsome  grained  woods,  junks  though  they  are,  they  are  by  no  means  so  rude  or  lunihering 
as  we  had  preconeeived  them  to  be.  Now  and  then  a  steam  tug  phes  up  or  down  the  stream. 
Yonder  is  one  coming,  doubtless  of  English  build,  but  native  manned,  and  drawing  behind  it  a 
train  of  three  or  four  new  yellow  junks,  from  which  the  most  brilliant  red  bunting  is  flying  on  all 
sides.  From  one  mast-head  floats  the  Dragon  banner  of  the  empire.  This  boat  bears  some 
army  official. 

The  walls  of  the  city  now  begin  to  appear,  running  in  a  long  dark  mass  ;  now  along  the  canal, 
then  over  a  rocky  promontory,  and  anon  up  over  the  hills  into  the  fai-away  distance.  These 
walls  astonish  us  by  their  massiveness  and  height.  The  average  height  cannot  be  less  than  forty 
feet.  They  often  rise  to  seventy-five  and  loo  feet.  Including  the  filling  of  earth,  they  are  forty 
feet  in  thickness.  The  outer  shell  is  castellated.  These  walls  enclose  an  area  of  not  less  than 
twenty-five  miles  around.    In  fact,  the  Nanking  wall  is  the  largest  single  enclosure  in  the  world. 

The  first  Ming  monarch,  Hung-Woo,  who  laid  out  and  fortified  this  seat  of  empire,  wrought 
a  colossal  thing.  This  wall,  though  having  stood  for  500  3'ears,  looks  as  if  it  were  good  for  2,500 
vears  more,  being  in  perfect  repair.  Of  course  it  encloses  more  area  than  that  required  for  the 
mere  city  itself.  It  embraces  much  of  the  open  country  adjacent,  including  rich  agricultural  lands, 
lakes,  orchards,  lofty  hills  and  moors,  on  which  pheasants  and  even  the  wild  deer  are  often  shot. 
This  open  country  is  very  desolate  and  silent  to  an  American  eye.  There  is  a  sepulchral  lone- 
someness  about  its  aspect  and  impress  upon  you.  There  is  a  sense  of  past  generations  departed 
since  these  hoary  w'alls  that  lie  on  the  horizon  line  yonder  were  builded.  Indeed,  the  hillocks 
and  mounds  thrown  up  in  such  multitudes  on  all  the  slopes  and  across  the  plains  force  upon  you 
afresh  the  reflection  that  China  is  one  vast  sepulchre,  in  which  human  beings  of  forty  centuries 
lie  entombed.  Jerusalem  itself  could  not  impress  one  more  with  the  sense  of  ancientness  and 
generations  gone  forever.  There  are  within  the  present  walls  the  traces  of  two  old  cities  within 
the  modern  city.  One  is  known  as  "  the  Tartar  City"  ;  and  the  other  is  what  was  once  known 
in  Ming  times  as  "  the  Forbidden  or  Imperial  City."'  Both  of  these  are  now  reduced  to  a  waste, 
with  occasional  old  bridges,  beautiful  in  design,  or  the  part  of  an  old  palace  or  royal  road 
remaining. 

The  moats  which  skirted  the  div  ision  walls  are  filled  up  ;  and  what  were  once  rushing  brooks 
running  sparkling,  clear,  from  the  hills,  are  now  dry  ravines,  with  occasional  slimy  pools,  sadly 
suggestive  of  the  changed  conditions. 

^Vj  f\rmy  u/itlp  Bar^rjers. 

As  we  were  passing  through  these  dismantled  remains  of  imperial  pretensions  of  the  j:)ast, 
we  met  a  regiment  of  soldiers  in  single  file,  each  with  the  traditional  long,  bannered  lance,  just 
entering  the  walls  by  the  North  Gate.  They  had  been  out  to  escort  their  officials  to  the  temple 
of  the  Dragon  King,  beyond  the  Ming  Tombs,  that  they  might  there  pray  for  rain.  It  gave  new 
reality  to  that  Scripture  phrase,  "  an  army  with  banners"  ;  but  apart  from  the  array  of  glaring 
red  flags,  I  was  amused  at  the  pusillanimity  of  the  force,  with  about  as  much  discipline  and  form 
as  a  tribe  of  wild  Comanche  Indians,  and  as  superstitious. 


6i 


f^ince  the  Minn'  times,  next  to  no  ])r05^res.s  lias  hc'en  made  hy  the  Chinese  of  Nankin;,'.  We 
were  thieachny  our  \\a\  tiirougli  ruins,  due  to  war  and  its  sad  havocs,  nutaljly  those  oi  tlio  Tai- 
pins;  Kehellioii.  It  was  in  this  city  tlial  the  'I'ien 
Wani;,  or  "Heavenly  Kini^,"  had  his  throne.  Here 
the  rebellion,  after  a  two  years'  siege,  collapsed,  when 
the  city  was  sacked  and  in  a  large  part  destroyed, 
even  its  beautiful  and  far-famed  I'orcelain  Tower,  and 
its  people  outchercd  wholesale,  without  mercy. 

Jl?e  /r\ir7(5  Jomt^S- 

We  were  favored  in  having  for  our  guide  to  the 
Ming  Tombs  Dr.  Robert  lieebe,  of  the  American 
Methodist  Episcopal  Mission  Hospital  in  Nanking. 
On  three  donkeys,  each  somewhat  larger  than  a  good- 
sized  goat,  three  of  us  started  out  through  the  once 
forbidden  city  and  the  North  Gate,  over  the  grave- 
peopled  hills,  four  miles  to  the  northward.  The 
remains  of  three  elaborate  structures  are  to  be  seen.  porcelain  tower,  Nanking. 
The  first  is  a  sort  of  gateway  consisting  of  three  arches. 

A  couple  of  hundred  yards  farther  on,  is  the  tomb  of  the  younger  Ming  monarch.  Directly  over 
it  is  placed  an  immense  turtle,  carved  from  a  single  stone,  which  might  weigh  eight  or  ten  tons ; 
and  rising  from  its  back  is  a  colossal  slab  of  granite,  fourteen  feet  in  height,  and  about  two  feet 
by  six  in  thickness  and  breadth,  on  which  are  inscriptions  celebrating  the  achievements  of  the 
dynasty.  Over  all  this  are  the  ruined  arches  of  a  large  stone  building,  eighty  feet  square,  which 
is  entered  by  four  mammoth  gateways,  one  on  each  side.  Passing  now  to  the  westward,  we  find 
ourselves  at  the  entrance  of  a  long,  curved  roadw^ay,  leading  for  another  mile  to  the  tomb  of  the 
^reat  Ming  himself. 

C^olossal  I/nacjes. 

Along  this  roadway,  at  intervals  of  loo  yards  or  so,  are  colossal  images  in  granite,  of  a 
peculiar  character,  and  in  pairs,  facing  each  other  froni  opposite  sides  of  the  way.  First  we 
pass  through  between  two  dogs  standing ;  then  between  two  kneeling;  then  between  two  pairs 
of  tigers,  then  of  lions,  then  of  camels,  then  of  huge  elephants,  then  of  horses,  then  of  monu- 
mental pillars ;  then  between  two  pairs  each  of  military  men,  and  of  literati,  then  of  more 
animals  again,  etc.,  for  the  distance  of  a  full  mile.  We  have  now  come  around  a  large  hill,  in  a 
circuitous  way,  Chinese  superstition  being  much  afraid  of  straight  lines  ;  and  now  passing  over  a 
bridge  formed  of  triple  arches  abreast,  we  enter  the  ruins  of  what  was  once  a  temple  gateway, 
then  through  a  large  court,  over  another  stone  bridge,  and  then  up  to  the  final  court  and  arched 
entrance  to  the  burial  site  itself. 


62 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


The  tomb  of  the  great  Ming  is,  as  all  Chinese  tombs  are,  a  hillock  or  miniature  mountain, 
except  that  this  is  of  vast  size,  only  the  rounding  off  of  which  can  be  artificial.    The  hill  covers- 

probably  some  six  acres  oi 
ground  at  its  base,  and  rises 
to  perhaps  300  feet  in 
height.  On  the  top  of  this 
hill  it  is  said  the  great  ruler 
is  buried.  The  whole  hill 
is  enclosed  with  a  great 
wall  about  twenty  feet  in 
height  and  four  feet  in 
thickness.  Just  behind  the 
entire  artificial  arrange- 
ments of  which  I  have 
spoken,  rises  a  great 
dragon-shaped  mountain, 
called  the  Golden  Pearly 
.Mountain,  purple  with  red 
sandstone  and  autumn 
wi.i  '  i  r.  MIX.,  I'. Ml:..  herbage.   The  tomb  hillock 

at  its  base  was  golden  and 

scarlet  with  the  tints  of  the  autumn  foliage.  Indian  summer  haze  gave  atmosphere  to  all,  and 
the  scene  was  august  with  impressiveness  and  mystery. 


There  stood  with  us  there  that  day  a  brilliant  young  Chinaman,  with  flashing  eye,  in  rich  garb, 
secretary  to  the  city  yamen  (or  mayor),  who  had  come  to  the  spot  to  make  preparations  for  the 
expected  arri\  al,  next  day,  of  a  great  Tartar  general,  who  had  been  sent  from  Pekin  to  represent 
the  present  emperor,  in  special  prayer  to  the  dead  ancestral  monarch.  This  young  official 
explained  to  us  the  entire  affair,  and  dilated  at  great  length,  and  with  eloquent  gesticulation, 
on  the  grandeur  of  the  sight,  and  the  excellent  arrangements  of  the  "Fung  Shway,"'  admitting 
of  the  easy  going  and  coming  of  the  spirit  of  the  mighty  dead  from  and  to  his  tomb.  The 
young  fellow,  a  Bismarck  in  proportions,  fascinated  us  beyond  measure.  He  was  effusively 
polite  and  cordial.  We  could  not  but  pray  for  the  day  when  such  specimens  of  China's  young 
manhood,  enlightened  by  the  gospel  and  forsaking  his  superstitions,  shall  rise  up,  Luther-like, 
and  stir  this  sleeping  empire  with  Christ-like  power. 

Returning  to  the  city,  we  made  rapid  visits  to  the  several  missions,  all  American,  viz.  :  To 
the  Methodist,  with  the  large  and  influential  Philander  Smith  Memorial  Hospital,  the  boys'  and 
girls'  schools,  chapels,  etc. ;  to  the  Presbyterian,  the  Friends,  and  the  Disciples'  missions,  all 


up  the   )'ting-tsc- 1\  iaug  . 


63 


in  fl(iurishii\L;  cdiulitions. 
We  visited  sevenil  of  the 
noted  temples,  iiicliulini^ 
the  Confucian,  second  in 
rank  only  to  the  great  one 
in  Pekin. 

We  said  farewell  to 
our  cordial  host  and  guide 
for  the  day,  and,  wearied 
in  body  though  filled  with 
high  appreciation  of  what 
we  had  seen,  under  escort 
of  one  of  the  Presbyterian 
mission  servants,  we 
passed  out  of  the  gate  of 
the  city  just  before  it 
closed  for  the  night,  and 
by  two  boatmen  were 
propelled  in  our  house- 
boat, snugly  sleeping, 
meanwhile,  down  to  the 

landing,  to  catch  the  morning  steamer  to  Hankow. 


(  IlIMiSE  IMAMIA 


At  the  landing,  four  miles  down  a  small  stream  from  Nanking  proper,  Mr.  L.  and  I  had  a 
novel  experience  while  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  "up-steamer."  To  this  landing,  after  our  visit 
to  the  great  Ming  capital,  we  were  kindly  sent  in  the  comfortable  mission  house-boat  of  the  Pres- 
byterian missionary,  "Sir.  Lieman.  We  left  at  dark  Wednesday  evening,  having  arranged  to  sleep 
in  the  boat,  near  the  landing,  so  as  to  be  on  hand  on  the  arrival  of  the  steamer  next  morning  at 
4  o'clock.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  sieamer  did  not  come  until  the  following  morning  at  that 
hour,  and  there  were  about  200  Chinese  to  wait  also  during  that  thirty-si.\  hours.  That  Tuas  a 
day !  Not  a  word  of  our  language  did  these  Chinese  understand,  nor  did  we  understand  a  dozen 
words  of  theirs.  How  they  did  swarm  about  us,  and  smile  and  chatter!  How  they  did  examine 
our  clothing  and  all  else  about  us,  even  Mr.  L.'s  false  teeth,  and  quiz  us !  and  how  by  degrees  we 
succeeded,  by  mere  good  nature,  by  a  few  signs,  and  by  Mr.  L.  letting  them  use  his  field-glass 
freely,  in  winning  their  favor  and  good  will  on  every  hand.  Many  of  the  characters  interested  us 
exceedingly.  Tedious  as  the  long  waiting  was,  being  required  to  keep  our  boatman,  and  sleeping 
two  nights  on  the  boat  instead  of  one,  yet  we  agreed  that  it  was  altogether  providential ;  and  it 
showed  us  a  side  of  Chinese  life  of  value  to  us,  revealing  Chinese  character  likewise  in  a  truly 
practical  way.    I  feel  confident  that  under  God  I  could  win  my  way  rapidly  among  these  people. 


64 


Iti  Brightest  Asia. 


starting  in  without  a  word  of  the  language  or  even  a  dictionary,  and  could  persuade  them,  too,  of 
the  realities  of  the  grace  of  Ciod,  as  surely  as  I  could  the  people  of  a  raw  community  in  America. 

The  truth  is,  it  is  the  heart,  and  the  spirit  of  God  within  it,  mixed  with  tact  and  common 
sense,  that  wins  anywhere.  Those  who  cannot  command  those  elements  in  America  in  a  high 
degree  should  never  come  here.  Mere  sentiment  or  gush  is  not  worth  a  rush  here.  Force  of 
character  that  is  not  afraid  also  to  come  down  and  lose  itself  in  the  needs  of  the  people,  and  be 
aflame,  meanwhile,  with  a  divinely  begotten  love,  is  the  thing.  You  should  have  seen  Miss 
Guinness  to-day,  while  we  were  bargaining  with  a  fellow  in  a  crowded  place  at  Kiu-Kiang,  in  less 
than  two  minutes'  time  getting  hold  of  an  audience  of  a  few  women  and  children,  first  by  noticing 
a  baby  in  its  bright  young  mother's  arms,  gaining  their  confidence,  and  thus  at  once,  a  little  aside 
from  the  crowd,  enabled  to  introduce  the  gospel  in  a  way  that  evidently  impressed  them. 


^  Oifted  missionary.  ^^^^^^^^^  ^ 

It  was  a  pleasure  which  I  had  scarcely  anticipated,  to  have  a  meeting  with  Miss  Guinness. 
The  meeting  occurred  at  Kiu-Kiang,  where  our  steamer  has  been  staying  for  a  couple  of  hours, 
while  the  cargo  w-as  unloading.  On  the  return  we  hope  for  another  visit.  As  the  steamer 
neared  the  landing-hulk,  I  saw  over  the  heads  of  a  host  of  Chinese  people  and  several 
Catholic  missionaries,  twenty  rods  away,  a  tall  lady,  in  blue  cotton  Chinese  "  maqua,"  and  without 
bonnet,  descending  the  stone  steps  from  the  water-front,  or  "  Bund,"  as  it  is  called,  of  the  pretty 
shaded  foreign  concession,  attended  by  a  gentleman,  also  in  Chinese  costume.  I  at  once  took 
her  to  be  the  lady  looked  for. 

A  few  minutes  later,  and  our  steamer  was  alongside  the  Iiulk,  and  the  gentleman  aforesaid 
approached  the  steamer's  side,  and  said  to  me  :  "  Is  this  Dr.  Mabie.'  I  am  Mr.  Eason  of  the 
C.  I.  M.  Miss  Guinness  is  waiting  beyond  the  crowd  to  meet  you."  I  was  not  long  in  skipping 
over  the  guards  and  elbowing  through  the  swarming  natives.  I  at  once  picked  out  the  lady,  who 
looked  precisely  as  I  had  come  to  expect  from  her  photograph  and  from  the  marked  family  resem- 
blance especially  to  her  dear  father,  whom  she  ardently  loves,  and  concerning  whom  she  could 
not  speak  without  a  tear  glistening  in  the  unusually  joyful  and  soulful  face.  We  went  ashore,  and 
took  a  stroll  through  the  Bund  and  a  street  of  curious  Chinese  shops,  in  search  of  a  few  trinkets, 
and  then  came  back  to  the  ship,  and  sat  down  for  a  "set-to"  on  all  sorts  of  mission  matters. 
-She  expressed  delight  at  my  going  bodily  into  the  mission  enterprise.  The  expression  of  her 
own  glowing  interest  and  faith  in  the  Christianization  of  the  Chinese  was  inspiring  enough. 

She  has  just  come  through  the  country  overland  from  Shanghai  to  Kiu-Kiang  via  Hangchow, 
Kinhwa,  Takatang  and  the  Poyang  Lake,  taking  in  a  great  stretch  of  canal  and  road  travelling, 
and  meeting  China  at  home  in  a  hundred  forms,  calling  at  and  investigating  station  after  station 
of  Christian  work. 

She  told  of  one  work  begun  only  a  short  time  ago  by  a  young  Scotch  girl  from  Glasgow, 
younger  than  herself,  who  had,  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time,  learned  the  language  and 
gathered  a  church  of  107  members.  Miss  Guinness  saw  eighty-four  of  them  at  the  Lord's  Supper. 
She  emphasized  the  deep  love  the  missionary  had  shown  for  the  souls  she  had  won,  and  assured 


(  p  tlic  7'aug-tsc-Kiang. 


iiie  that  her  inlhience  over  tliem  was  unhouiuled.  Miss  Cuinness  feels  l)cyon(l  measure  the 
importance  of  haviiiij;  a  stamp  of  missionaries  who  can  and  will  learn  to  (leejily  love  the  Chinese, 
and  go  right  in,  body  and  soul,  among  them,  even  eschewing  foreign  styles  of  houses  and  foreign 
ways  of  living.  On  this  latter 
point,  however,  tlierc  are  various 
opinions. 

Well,  it  was  refreshing  to  see 
and  converse  with  the  author  of 
"In  the  Far  East"  and  the  daughter 
of  my  revered  friend.  Dr.  Guinness. 
I  shall  also  have  double  satisfaction 
in  meeting  the  whole  dear  houshold 
when  I  reach  London,  since  I  shall 
have  seen  and  known  this  gifted 
daughter  and  sister. 

I^iuer  3'5'?'7<?''y- 
The  scenery  of  this  mighty  river, 
which  for  four  successive  days,  in 
panoramic  grandeur,  we  have  been 
passing,  is  unique.  Strangely,  on 
one  bank,  the  country  is  uniformly 
fiat  the  whole  distance.    On  the 

other,  the  south  bank,  the  scenery  is  greatly  diversified,  often  majestic,  with  lofty  peaks.  The 
mountains,  however,  are  for  the  most  part  bare,  having  long  since  been  denuded  of  their 
forests.  Occasionally,  we  see  a  stately  island  crowned  with  a  monastery,  or  a  quaint  old  town 
lying  off  a  few  miles  distant  on  the  slopes  of  hills,  and  walled  in,  over  a  distance  of  several 
miles  square,  with  a  picturesque  wall,  with  frequent  towers,  which  runs  up  the  slopes,  along 
the  saddle-back  of  the  range  and  down  again  to  the  water  level  of  the  river.  Perhaps  on  a  high, 
rocky  promontory  stands  the  citadel,  with  clusters  of  public  buildings,  including  a  temple  and  a 
pagoda.    There  are  1,200  walled  cities  in  China,  besides  many  of  these  walled  towns. 

We  have  on  board  the  very  intelligent  British  consul  of  Hankow,  with  his  wife  and 
daughter,  just  returned  from  England.  The  consul  is  an  encyclopaedia  on  China,  having  been 
twenty-nine  years  in  the  country ;  and  he  fills  us  up  daily  with  all  sorts  of  information  and 
incidents.  We  have  two  Roman  Catholic  missionaries  and  one  Wesleyan.  In  the  other  end  of 
the  ship,  we  have  Chinese  by  the  hundreds. 


LITTLE  ORPHAN  ISLAND. 


f^apKou;  apd  Qriffitl^  }o\)X). 

I  found  Brother  Warner  waiting  on  the  landing-hulk  at  Hankow  upon  the  arrival  of  our 
steamer,  looking  hale  and  hearty  in  his  Chinese  cap  and  cue.    He  had  been  waiting  for  me  four 


66  In  Brightest  Asia. 

days,  having  come  down  from  Sui-fu  in  eleven  days.  In  passing  \\\)  tlirough  those  same  gorges 
of  the  upper  Yang-tse  two  seasons  ago,  it  took  them  over  two  months.  Brother  Warner  also 
brought  me  a  note  of  hearty  greeting  from  Dr.  John  to  come  at  once  to  his  chapel  and  mission- 
house,  his  Sunday  service  being  in  session.    An  inspiring  scene  awaited  us. 


MR.  VV.VKN'ER  IN  NATIVE  CUSTf.ME 


Can  the  Chinese  be  Christianized  ? 


67 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Qa9       (5l7i9es(?  b<?  Ql7ristiaQized  ? 

GAN  the  thing  be  done  ?  Are  there  facts  on  record  that  warrant  our  confidence  in  the 
achievements  of  grace  upon  a  people  stolid,  anti-foreign,  superstitious  and  gross  as  the 
Chinese  in  their  heathen  state  appear  to  be?  Take  the  following  facts  which  were 
brought  to  my  notice  on  a  single  Sabbath  afternoon  and  evening  while  visiting  Dr. 
Griffith  John  at  Hankow.  Dr.  John  is  one  of  the  really  great  missionaries  of  China  —  great  in 
brain,  in  scholarly  acquisitions,  in  command  of  the  best  mandarin  dialect,  in  knowledge  of  the 
Chinese  character,  and  in  comprehensiveness  of  view  of  the  scope  and  likewise  of  the  limitations 
of  true  foreign  mission  enterprise.  He  has  been  once  elected  to  the  chairmanship  of  the  Con- 
gregational Union  of  Great  Britain,  but  declined  the  honor.  After  thirty  years  of  service  in  the 
most  difficult  mission-field  of  the  world,  he  prefers  to  toil  on  in  the  mine,  rather  than  to  accept 
any  degree  of  conspicuous  rope-holding  at  home.    Is  he  choosing  vainly? 

Yesterday  at  3  p.m.  we  went  to  Dr.  John's  chapel,  a  room  capable  of  seating  some  400  people. 
We  went  through  a  drenching  rain,  expecting  to  see  a  small  congregation.  Entering,  we  found  a 
throng.  Possibly  seventy  more  persons  could  have  been  seated.  We  were  a  little  late,  and  the 
service  had  begun.  The  congregation  were  singing,  "  I  need  thee  every  hour."  A  native  sat  at 
the  organ,  rolling  out  the  strains  in  the  best  of  form,  and  leading  the  singing  with  a  confidence 
and  a  calm  strength  of  feeling  that  would  have  been  worthy  of  Sankey.  A  native  pastor  of  large 
frame  stood  up  and  read  the  Scriptures,  with  an  expression  and  depth  of  tone  that  fastened  the 
attention  of  all.  Fully  one  half  of  the  congregation  held  Bibles,  and  followed  the  reading  closely. 
Dr.  John  offered  prayer.  Every  person  in  the  congregation,  except  one  feeble  old  octogenarian, 
arose,  faced  about,  and  knelt  down  upon  the  mats  which  usually  rest  on  the  stone  floor  under- 
neath the  simple  benches.  It  was  impressive  to  see  the  uniform  rows  of  men  in  their  clean 
blue  cotton  garments,  their  long  cues  hanging  down  their  backs,  every  face  buried  in  the  hands, 
motionless  on  their  knees  before  the  true  God.  Dr.  John  preaches  on  the  text,  "  Be  ye  stead- 
fast, unmovable,  always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord."  We  discover  at  once  a  richness,  a 
depth,  a  clear-cut  and  virile  strength  in  the  language,  in  pleasing  contrast  with  the  sing-song, 
nasal,  whining  dialects  we  have  elsewhere  heard,  and  Dr.  John  uses  it  with  a  finished  mastery. 

^T)  f\(^ed  Belieuer. 

Here  at  my  left,  and  partly  facing  me,  sits  an  old  man  of  seventy,  large  spectacles  on  his 
nose,  considerable  gray  beard  on  his  chin,  shrivelled  in  features,  but  very  intent  on  the  sermon. 
That  man,  I  am  told,  lives  six  miles  out  in  the  country.    He  always  walks  to  and  from  the  chapel 


68 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


services  on  Sundays,  and  he  doesn't  miss  two  services  in  a  year.  He  earns  his  living  by  selling 
cloth  on  the  streets.  He  walks  from  his  home  to  his  trading-place  every  morning;  but  busy  as 
he  is,  and  toiling  as  he  does,  he  yet  tinds  time  to  devote  two  hours  of  five  days  in  every  week  to 
preaching  the  gospel  on  the  streets  or  in  some  one  of  several  chapels.  Lately  his  daughter-in- 
law,  who  had  lived  under  his  roof,  died,  and  her  family  relatives  and  friends  at  her  death  urged 
that,  according  to  the  usual  heathen  custom,  great  quantities  of  silvered  paper  should  be  burnt  in 
offerings,  and  that  other  heathen  ceremonies  should  be  carried  out  in  behalf  of  her  spirit.  The 
old  man  objected,  refused  utterly,  and,  even  though  a  mob  of  heathen  beset  his  house  for  twenty- 
four  hours,  clamoring  for  the  ritual  with  the  vehemence  of  hyenas,  he  stoutly  resisted,  saying : 
"  You  may  cut  my  head  from  my  body  if  you  will,  but  you  shall  never  perform  those  ceremonies 
under  my  roof  so  long  as  I  live,  for  I  am  a  Christian."    He  had  his  way,  and  the  mob  subsided. 

^  Your7<5  /T\aQdarir7. 

Here  at  my  right  sits  an  unusually  intelligent  young  man  of  thirty.  His  clothing,  a  rich 
white  brocaded  satin  over-vest,  is  evidence  that  he  is  of  higher  standing  than  those  about  him. 
On  inquiry  I  find  he  is  a  young  mandarin  belonging  to  the  official  class.  He  is  employed  at 
present  as  a  draughtsman  in  the  office  of  the  viceroy  of  the  province,  living  in  the  city  of 
Wuchang,  just  across  the  river  from  Hankow.  Six  months  ago  this  young  man  was  in  some  way 
attracted  into  Dr.  John's  chapel,  and  heard  a  sermon  from  one  of  the  ablest  native  preachers. 
He  was  impressed,  and  came  again.  He  began  to  seek  interviews  with  other  Christians.  He 
sought  Dr.  John,  and  talked  with  him,  saying,  "  I  believe  you  have  the  true  religion,  and  I  want 
it."  He  began  reading  the  Bible  ;  he  began  worship  in  his  family.  It  attracted  the  attention  of 
his  neighbors,  and  for  five  months  he  has  been  known  openly  as  a  Christian,  and  comes  regularly 
to  church.  When  solicited  to  apply  for  baptism,  he  frankly  replied:  "I  have  been  for  a  year 
mildly  smoking  opium.  I  am  not  yet  sure  how  great  the  power  of  the  appetite  may  be  over  me. 
I  will  wait  six  months  and  see,  seeking  help  to  overcome  it  wholly." 

He  became  especially  fond  of  the  hymn  book.  One  hymn,  based  on  the  one  hundred  and 
third  Psalm,  was  his  favorite.  A  friend  of  his  was  recommended  to  read  that  hymn.  The  refer- 
ence in  the  hymn  to  the  "renewal  of  one's  youth  like  the  eagle's"  puzzled  the  heathen  friend, 
and  he  sought  its  explanation  from  the  mandarin  believer.  He  told  him  that  it  did  not  mean 
that  his  gray  hairs  should  again  become  black,  but  that  it  described  the  renewal  of  one's  spirit, 
the  new  birth  and  the  refreshment  which  grace  is  ever  supplying ;  and  he  added  :  "  We  have  that 
spirit  of  God  in  our  chapel,  and  I  have  it  in  my  heart."  "Oh,  that's  it!"  said  the  astonished 
inquirer,  and  now  he,  too,  is  reaching  out  after  the  blessing. 

Yesterday,  the  six  months  being  ended,  the  young  mandarin  came  to  Dr.  John's  before  ser- 
vice, and  applied  for  baptism.  He  brought  with  him  a  present  for  the  missionary,  which  I  saw. 
It  was  a  handsome  fan,  on  which  was  written,  by  the  giver's  own  artist  hand,  the  texts  :  "  If  any 
man  will  come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross  and  follow  me,"  and  "  He 
that  loseth  his  life  the  same  shall  find  it,"  and  also  the  entire  hymn  beginning,  "Ashamed  of 
Jesus?  that  dear  friend."    This  was  his  confession  of  faith. 


Can  the  Chinese  be  Christianized  ? 


69 


/\  Blirjd  C^tpristiar?  Boy. 

"Did  you  observe  that  blind  boy,  yet  in  his  teens,  who  sat  just  before  me  while  I  was  preach- 
ing ?"  said  Dr.  John  to  us.  "  That  boy  is  not  only  a  Christian,  but  he  is  full  of  the  Hible,  having 
a  remarkable  memory.  He  knows  substantially  the  whole  New  Testament.  He  literally  carries 
the  whole  hymn  book  in  his  mind  ;  and  were  you  to  come  into  our  hospital  to-morrow,  where  that 
boy  often  comes  to  pray  for  and  with  our  patients,  and  join  in  our  preliminary  gospel  service,  he 
would  stand  up  and  repeat  for  you  my  entire  sermon  of  to-day."  Dr.  John  told  us  of  how  he  first 
found  out  this  boy,  whose  father  had  been  a  Christian  for  some  time  before  him.  The  boy  came 
to  see  the  missionary,  and  said  he  was  a  Christian,  and  wished  to  join  the  church.  Said  the  mis- 
sionary, "  Have  you  learned  to  pray?  "  "  Yes,"  replied  the  boy.  "  Well,  then,"  said  the  mission- 
ary, "  let  me  hear  you  pray  with  me."  They  knelt  together,  the  missionary  first  praying,  and 
then  the  boy.  Rising  from  their  knees,  the  boy  said,  "That's  the  way  my  father  taught  me  to 
pray."    Thus  from  parents  to  children  the  gospel  is  being  communicated  in  China. 

Nor  are  these  exceptional  cases.  Dr.  John  tells  me  that  there  are  about  1,000  members 
enrolled  in  the  churches  attached  to  the  London  Missionary  Society  which  are  clustered  about 
the  city  of  Hankow.  There  are  little  clusters  of  these  members  living  away  in  some  scores  of 
towns  and  villages.  There  were  representatives  of  seven  or  eight  provinces  in  the  church  service 
yesterday.  Hankow,  with  its  two  suburban  cities  of  Wuchang  and  Hanyan,  and  situated  just  at 
the  junction  of  the  Han  River  with  the  Yang-tse,  is  the  chief  inland  trading-mart  of  the  empire, 
and  the  representatives  of  several  provinces  are  always  coming  and  going  for  purposes  of  barter. 
Many  of  these,  on  their  visits  to  Hankow,  have  been  reached  with  the  gospel,  and  going  home 
have  repeated  the  story,  and  thus  have  brought  others.  Dr.  John  tells  me  that  even  in  the 
province  of  Hunan,  the  proudest  and  most  anti-foreign  district  in  China,  into  which  no  foreign 
missionary  may  yet  safely  enter,  they  have  a  considerable  number  of  faithful  members.  But  for 
results  like  these,  one  of  the  strongest  men  in  China  has  wrought  for  thirty-five  years,  ably 
seconded  by  a  force  of  some  half-dozen  missionary  assistants,  including  a  thorough  Christian 
hospital,  superintended  by  just  the  right  sort  of  a  physician  and  surgeon.  Dr.  Gillison,  skilful  and 
consecrated  to  the  core.  My  heart  was  much  moved  by  the  narratives  given  me  by  this  gifted 
young  doctor  of  the  blessing  attending  this  far-reaching  form  of  secondary  mission  enterprise. 


In  BrigJitest  Asia. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Jl^e  lL/esteri7  C^l?i9a  (T\issio9. 

Sf^e  QouQtry  ar^d  /T\odes  of  Jrauel. 

November  12. 

IF  you  would  see  China  in  one  of  its  leading  representative  features,  you  must  ascend  one  of 
its  rivers,  its  main  artery,  the  Yang-tse-Kiang.  The  river,  for  1,000  miles  upward,  as  far  as 
Ichang,  is  navigable  for  ships  of  the  largest  tonnage,  and  fairly  swarms  with  native  junks, 
engaged  in  every  species  of  rude  traffic.  There  are  villages  and  settlements  all  along  its 
muddy  banks,  poor  beyond  description.  The  houses  are  mainly  built  of  mere  fagots  of  reeds, 
which  grow  in  the  swamp-lands  that  abound,  especially  on  the  north  side  of  the  river.  The 
country  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  is  in  perfect  contrast  to  this,  being  diversified  by  moun- 
tains and  scenes  of  lofty  grandeur. 

Several  cities,  of  large  size  and  importance,  are  seen  between  Shanghai  and  Ichang.  These 
are  Chin-kiang  (at  the  crossing  of  the  Grand  Canal,  connecting  Pekin  with  the  South),  Nanking, 
Wuhoo,  Kiu-Kiang,  Wuchang  and  Hankow.  Each  of  these  cities  has  a  unique  character  of  its 
own.  Our  present  destination  is  Hankow,  situated  600  miles  from  Shanghai.  This  Hankow  is 
to  the  lower  Yang-tse  what  St.  Louis  is  to  the  lower  Mississippi.  Heavy  navigation  stops  here  ; 
although  in  the  near  future,  when  treaty  arrangements  will  admit  of  it,  the  upper  river  as  far  as 
Sui-fu,  the  St.  Paul  of  China,  1,600  miles  from  the  sea,  will  be  opened  to  steam  navigation. 
Steamers  of  a  special  pattern  will  need  to  be  built  for  the  purpose,  inasmuch  as  the  passage  is 
through  vast  gorges  or  canons,  and  up  rapids  swift  and  dangerous. 

The  present  method  of  navigating  this  part  of  the  river  is  by  Chinese  junks  of  great  strength, 
built  to  endure  much  thumping  on  the  rocks ;  and  these  junks  are  drawn  by  bamboo  ropes,  manned 
by  coolies,  —  sometimes  fifty  in  a  string,  —  who  walk  along  the  foot-paths,  often  cut  in  the  sides 
of  precipitous  rocks,  rising  hundreds,  even  thousands,  of  feet  above  them.  Besides,  two  men  in 
the  boat,  with  long  sweeps  of  oars,  manage  to  shoot  the  boat  around  the  rocks  or  jutting  points 
of  the  shore.  The  tediousness  and  difficulties  of  making  this  ascent  are  considerable,  especially 
when,  as  in  the  months  of  June  and  October,  the  waters  often  rise  sixty  feet  above  the  ordinary. 
The  tediousness  may  be  conceived  if  you  will  recall  that  it  usually  consumes  a  time  nearly  twice 
as  long  as  to  come  from  Minneapolis  to  Shanghai.  One  can  come  down  to  Shanghai  in  about 
three  weeks. 

A  striking  impression  was  made  on  us,  since  our  arrival  in  China,  of  the  far-away  character 
of  the  place,  by  the  fact  that  whereas  in  telegraphing  to  one  of  our  missionaries  at  Sui-fu  via 
Chungking,  we  received  a  reply  after  three  days,  yet  in  arranging  to  meet  him  at  Hankow,  on  his 


I'/ie  Wcstcin  China  Mission. 


ENTRANCE  TO  THE  LU   KAN  GORGE 


72 


In  £rig]itcst  Asia. 


descent  of  the  river,  nearly  three  weeks  would  intervene ;  and  were  I  to  go  up  to  Sui-fu  to  visit 
the  brethren,  Messrs.  Upcraft  and  Warner,  it  would  consume  not  less  than  three  months  to  go 
and  return. 


Sz-et^ueQ  ar^d  tlpi^  /T\issioQ. 

Nevertheless,  let  it  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  great  province  of  Sz-chuen,  in  which  this  new 
station  of  ours  is  located,  is  the  largest,  and  in  many  respects  the  most  important  province  in  all 


-MK.  LP(  KA1-T"S  boat. 


China.  This  province  has  not  been  subject  to  the  awful  devastations,  both  froai  flood  and  flames 
of  war,  which  have  again  and  again  laid  in  ruins  the  lower  country  of  China.  The  material 
resources  are  immense,  such  as  silk,  tea,  rice,  wheat,  corn,  millet,  tobacco,  fruits,  salt,  sugar, 
medicines  and  minerals.  The  people  live  in  better  condition  generally  than  in  lower  China. 
They  have  better  houses.  They  have  higher  ideas  and  models,  artistically,  of  homes,  tombs  and 
temples.    There  is  greater  variety  of  industry.    Moreover,  they  are  more  open  to  foreign  ideas. 


The  Western  Cliina  Missiofi. 


73 


and  in  some  parts  there  is  a  manifest  hunger  for  knowledge.  It  is  the  seat  of  empire  for  Western 
China,  and  has  many  elements  of  a  really  independent  state  in  itself.  As  early  as  the  third  cen- 
tury of  our  era,  it  was  such  an  empire,  known  as  the  Kingdom  of  Shuh.  In  extent  it  covers 
200,000  square  miles,  one  half  of  which  is  mountainous 
and  sparsely  peopled.  The  population,  however,  at  the 
lowest  estimate,  is  35,000,000.  These  various  parts  of 
the  province,  moreover,  are  easily  accessible  through 
the  numerous  rivers  which  flow  soutiierly,  emptying 
into  the  Yang-tse.  One  of  these  rivers,  the  Min, 
above  Chentu,  the  capital,  divides  into  ten  or  more 
streams  flowing  through  the  myriad-peopled  plain  on 
which  the  capital  stands,  and  then  they  reunite  to  the 
southward. 

Missionwise,  this  province  has  long  been  considered 
as  one  presenting  rare  possibilities.  Roman  Catholic 
priests  entered  it  as  early  as  1700.  From  recent  data 
it  appears  that  there  are  three  diocesan  bishops  in  the 
province,  ninety-six  foreign  priests  (mostly  French- 
men), eighty-six  native  priests,  many  nuns  and  nurses, 
both  foreign  and  native,  and  many  catechists.  Each 
diocese  has  two  seminaries,  and  the  number  of  believers 
claimed  is  88,445.  Most  of  these,  unquestionably,  are 
baptized  infants.     Nevertheless,  we  are  assured  that  MR-  upcraft. 

much  influence  of  its  peculiar  sort  has  been  gained 

over  mandarins,  high  officials,  and  especially  over  the  judges  of  local  tribunals  and  over  wealthy 
families. 

But  Protestants  have  also  shown  themselves  appreciative  of  this  field  for  mission  work.  The 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  has  sent  several  colporters  since  1868.  The  London  Mission- 
ary Society,  the  English  Wesleyans,  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  America  have  all 
sent  strong  representatives  into  the  district,  and  have  the  beginnings  of  good,  permanent  work 
inaugurated.  Notably  the  China  Inland  Mission  now  occupies  permanently  ten  stations,  with 
forty-seven  workers.  At  all  of  these  points  they  are  erecting  or  adapting  permanent  buildings 
for  dispensaries,  chapels,  schools,  hospitals,  and  residences.  We  Baptists,  therefore,  in  sending 
our  two  single  men,  pioneers  of  our  cause,  eighteen  months  ago,  into  this  great  and  promising 
field,  —  remote,  indeed,  and  attended  with  its  peculiar  difficulties,  —  are  by  no  means  undertaking 
an  unheard-of  enterprise.  We  are  glad  to  hear  of  speedy  reinforcements  promised  from  our 
Mission  Rooms.  We  should  have  sufficient  to  occupy  the  populous  and  commanding  points  of 
Chung-king,  just  about  to  be  opened  as  a  treaty  port,  and  Chentu,  the  capital,  175  miles  north 
from  Sui-fu,  up  the  Min  River,  within  the  next  fourteen  months. 


74 


In  BrigJitest  Asia. 


/r\(?5sr5.  Uperaft  ar^d  U/arr7(^r. 


Since  the  Minnesota  yoiina;  people,  in  co-operation  witli  the  Missionary  Union,  took  up  this 
enterprise,  the  deepest  mis>ionary  interest  has  been  awakened  in  tliem,  several  of  whom  hope  to 
enter  the  field  when  prepared.  A  systematic  study  and  advocacy  of  the  field  has  been  instituted, 
and  through  their  agency  $1,500  is  being  annually  raised  in  support  of  the  pioneer  missionaries. 

We  gratefully  record  that 
within  a  few  months,  seven 
believers,  first-fruits  of  the 
movement,  have  been  bap- 
tized in  connection  with 
the  labors  of  Messrs.  Up- 
eraft and  Warner,  and  the 
first  Baptist  Church  of  Sui- 
fu  has  been  organized. 
May  this  'handful  of  corn 
in  the  tops  of  the  moun- 
tains yet  shake  like  Leba- 
non."' 

A  letter  from  Mr.  Up- 
eraft, which  came  to  hand 
just  as  I  left  Shanghai  for 
this  up-river  trip  to  Han- 
kow, says  :  '•  I  grieve  that 
being  within  1,000  miles, 

I  shall  not  be  able  to  see  you ;  but  prayer  shall  circle  the  globe  for  you,  and  desires  that  only 
God  may  know." 

-Sitting  on  the  deck  of  this  noble  English  steamer  to-day,  on  this  Nile  of  China,  with  pagoda- 
crowned  rocks  and  promontories  on  the  south  bank,  often  glowing  with  the  autumn  tints  of  the 
maple  and  the  tallow  tree,  or  purple  with  the  sparse  herbage,  and  with  the  thickly  peopled  flat 
lowland  on  our  north  bank,  despite  all  the  thrill  of  novelty  and  pleasure  which  the  experience 
affords,  I,  too,  grieve  that  I  can  only  send  my  yearning,  prayer-laden  glance  up  the  gorges  and 
over  the  mountains  to  where  the  dear  brother  in  isolation  courageously  toils  on  for  Christ  at 
Sui-fu.  Like  one  of  old,  I  am  only  permitted  to  scan  the  borders  of  the  land,  but  may  not  enter. 
I  have  at  least  knelt  in  prayer  at  the  hither  base  of  the  great  mountain  range  which  sepr rates  us 
in  person,  while  by  faith  we  have  met.  It  is  at  least  a  satisfaction,  beyond  all  power  of  words  to 
express,  to  have  traversed  even  thus  far  the  course  over  which  these  past  and  future  pilgrims  for 
Central  Asia's  evangelization  have  devoutly  come,  and  will  come  until  He  whose  right  it  is  shall 
reign  universally  and  supreme. 


THE  CITY  OF  bUI-rU,  WESTERN  CHINA. 


The  So  II  til  cm  Cliina  Mission. 


75 


CHAPTICR  X. 
f^OI7<5^0^7(5. 

November  i8. 

VE  are  entering  Hongkong  Harbor.    The  high  hills  are  on  every  side,  in  a  vast 
mountainous  amphitheatre.    Stately  chalk-white  liuropean  buildings  rise  on  all  the 
slopes,  some  of  them  alabastrian  in  beauty.    The  smoke  of  numerous  shops  and 
manufiictories  shadows  some  of  the  slopes,  but  for  the  most  part  there  is  a  sort  of  a 
New  Jerusalem-like  whiteness  and  beauty  about  the  whole  place.    Would  it  were  so  morally! 

Hongkong  is  an  English  colony.  What  there  is  of  Chinatown  is  obscured  or  by  no  means 
prominent.  A  noble  English  cathedral  rests  on  one  shoulder  of  the  mountain  ;  and  on  the  very 
summits,  reached  by  cable  railways,  are  great  hotels,  villas  and  country  seats,  baronial  in 
splendor  and  spaciousness.  European  merchants  and  army  and  customs  officials  do  not  come  out 
here  to  live  in  huts  or  in  native  fashion. 

Great  steamships  are  running  in  and  out  of  the  harbor  as  we  enter.  Twenty-seven  of  them 
are  in  sight,  several  of  them  going  to  Japan,  some  to  Australia,  some  arriving  from  Singapore, 
England,  etc.  This  is  the  tJiird  kindest  port  of  transit  in  t/ie  ivorld  I  First  London,  then 
Liverpool,  then  Hong- 
kong. We  now  approach 
the  landing,  and  sampans 
swarm  around,  eager  to 
take  us  ashore. 


/^rriual  at  Su/atovu. 

November  20. 
The  sail  from  Hong- 
kong to  Swatow  was  of 
only  a  day  and  a  night. 
The  seas,  however,  ran 
high,  and  our  tub  of  a 
steamer  danced  about  like 
a  cork,  and  we  found  the 
distance  quite  sufficient 
for  our  gastric  powers. 

HOXGKdXG  HARBOR. 


76 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


The  city  of  Swatow  itself  has  few  attractions.  It  lies  on  a  low,  flat  point  of  ground,  but  it  is 
evidently  a  port  of  considerable  commercial  importance.  A  very  rich  agricultural  country,  inside 
a  mountain  range,  lies  north  and  west  of  it.  On  this  great  fertile  Tie  Chiu  district,  I  should 
tiiink  never  atfiicted  with  famine,  our  mission  lies.    The  English  Presbyterians  share  the  field 

with  us.  They  have  extensive  com- 
pounds adjacent  to  the  city  proper  ; 
and  by  means  of  schools,  a  great 
hospital  and  a  very  aggressive 
evangelism  also,  they  are  pressing 
things  vigorously.  We  have  a  mis- 
sion chapel  in  the  city,  but  our 
compound  lies  across  the  bay  a  mile 
or  two  distant,  on  high,  rocky  ter- 
races, most  picturesquely  situated. 
For  beauty  it  exceeds  any  mission  we 
have  seen  in  Japan  or  China.  For 
this,  thanks  to  the  diligence,  pains- 
taking care  and  taste  of  Dr.  Ash- 
more.  When  he  purchased  the 
tract  many  years  ago  for  the  Mis- 
sionary Union,  at  the  nominal  sum 
of  $500,  it  was  little  more  than  a 
pile  of  verdureless,  decomposing 
granite,  and  as  unattractive  as 
possible.  But  by  dint  of  continuous  planting  of  trees  and  shrubs,  by  cutting  the  way  for 
paths  and  terrace  plats  for  buildings  of  half  a  dozen  sorts,  this  Judean-like  wilderness  has  been 
transformed  into  a  very  garden  of  the  Lord,  fit  emblem  of  the  spiritual  transformations  also 
being  carried  on  under  the  leadership  of  a  gardener  skilled  in  moral,  as  in  natural,  culture.  It 
was  our  privilege  to  see  many  of  these  "  trees  of  righteousness,  the  planting  of  the  Lord's  hand," 
coming  on  to  maturity  and  beauty  in  and  about  that  enclosure. 

We  have  here  four  good  houses  for  missionary  families,  besides  a  hospital,  boys'  and  girls' 
schools,  a  training-school  for  preachers,  and  a  chapel.  There  is  much  to  gladden  one.  Then 
better  than  all,  there  are  thirty  stations  out  in  the  great  plains  back  from  Swatow,  up  the  rivers 
and  canals,  some  of  which  we  are  to  visit.    More  than  1,100  members  have  been  enrolled. 

Brother  Foster  and  Dr.  Ashmore  met  us  at  the  little  landing  on  the  compound  as  our  sampan 
from  the  steamer  touched,  and  we  were  shown  up  the  hill  to  the  mission-house,  where  a  dozen  or 
so  of  our  workers  soon  met  us.  Brethren  Campbell  and  Norvell  had  come  in  from  the  Hakka 
district  to  see  us.  The  Scotts  and  Carlins  are  also  tabernacled  here.  Misses  Scott,  Campbell 
and  Dunwiddie,  who  left  America  since  I  did,  we  found  here  two  weeks  ahead  of  us. 

We  made  an  interesting  round  of  the  compound  to  the  various  schools,  —  the  evangelists' 
training-school,  the  Bible-women's  school,  the  hospital  and  chapel.    At  all  these  places  we  were 


DR.  ASHMORE'S  house. 


TJie  Soi/t/icrn  Cliiiia  Mission. 


11 


met  with  hearty  and  polite  greetings  from  the  native  Christians,  all  indicating  that  they  had  Ijeen 
anticipating  our  arrival.  On  later  occasions  we  were  called  out  for  addresses  to  them,  and  their 
responses  were  tender  and  touching.  The  following  is  a  sample,  spoken  to  us  before  Dr.  Ash- 
more's  sermon  on  Sunday  morning  by  the  pastor,  Po-san:  — 

"U'c  thank  you  for  coming  so  far  to  see  us.    Forty  years  ago,  no  such  sight  as  you  now  see, 


SWATOW  I'RE.^CHERS  AND  STUOEN'TS. 

in  this  full  house  of  men,  women  and  children,  worshipping  the  true  God,  was  possible.  The 
people  then  had  no  Bible  ;  they  were  devil  worshippers ;  they  despised  women  and  children.  We 
thank  the  Christians  in  America  for  sending  us  the  missionaries  of  forty  years  ago  and  since,  to 
give  us  the  Bible  and  all  attendant  biessings.  As  you  journey  on  in  your  course  from  land  to 
land,  please  to  bespeak  for  us  the  prayers  of  Christians  in  all  countries." 

While  this  was  spoken,  the  men  rose  and  stood.  Afterwards  one  of  the  Bible-women  made  a 
similar  address  of  welcome,  all  the  women  saying  their  "Amen." 


78 


In  Ji rigiitcst  Asia. 


iQla^d  OQ  tf?^  5u;atOu;   Field.  November  25. 

Much  to  our  satisfaction,  an  expedition  was  planned  for  us  into  the  country,  mid  dense 
heathenism  itself.  On  Monday  morning  the  two  mission-boats  were  gotten  ready,  stocked  with 
provisions  and  conveniences,  and  adequately  manned.    The  mission-bjat  is  an  institution  worth 

noting.  Often  for  weeks 
together  it  must  serve  the 
missionary,  and  some- 
times his  family,  for  trans- 
portation, inn,  retreat,  and 
defense  from  the  inquisi- 
tive gaze  and  obtrusive- 
ness  of  the  curious  and 
often  rude  multitudes. 
Without  it,  it  is  difficult 
to  see  how  in  China  the 
most  real  mission  work  in 
the  country  could  be  done 
at  all. 

One  living  in  America 
can  have  no  idea  of  how 
numerous,  on  the  great 
plains  of  China,  are  the 
rivers  and  canals.  They 
often  run  in  a  vast  net- 
SWATOW  BIBLE-WOMEN.  work  through  and  through 

thousands  of  square  miles 

of  level  country.  They  are  the  main  thoroughfares.  All  the  cities  and  towns  of  consequence 
are  built  upon  them.    There  are  rarely  any  other  public  roads,  as  we  count  roads. 

This  mission-boat,  therefore,  is  a  sine  qua  >wn  in  a  missionary's  equipment.  A  good  one 
costs  about  $300  (no  more  than  a  good  carriage  at  home).  It  is  about  thirty-five  feet  in 
length,  and  ten  in  width.  In  the  centre  is  a  house  room,  about  eight  by  twelve  feet  in  size, 
with  room  for  two  narrow  beds  at  the  sides,  a  table  at  the  end,  and  shelves  for  a  few  books.  A 
pantry  and  a  closet  adjoin  at  one  end,  while  outside  and  in  a  sort  of  forecastle  the  boatmen  and 
assistant  evangelists  live  and  sleep.  The  cooking  is  done  on  deck.  The  boat  has  a  mast,  and 
may  be  propelled  either  by  a  sail  or  by  long  oars  worked  by  coolies.  On  our  expedition  we  had 
two  of  these  boats,  one  of  them  formerly  used  by  Miss  Field  in  her  extensive  tours  among  the 
Tie  Chiu  women. 

We  had  with  us,  besides  Dr.  Ashmore  and  Brother  Foster,  four  evangelists,  a  cook  and  six 
boatmen.  For  the  first  half-day,  taking  advantage  of  the  tide,  we  floated  lazily  up  the  wide 
stream  which  issues  into  the  Swatow  Bay. 


I'lic  Soiillifrii   C/ih/a  Mission. 


79 


At  length,  about  .sunset,  a  town  is  reached  at  a  junction  of  two  streams.  Just  iicfore  we 
anchor,  to  prepare  for  an  evangeii/ing  service  on  the  Ijanks,  a  Ijoat  ai)])roaches  us  from  one  of 
the  streams,  having  on  board  several  men  and  boys.  Two  of  the  men  are  dressed  in  clean,  new 
buff  suits  of  cotton  clothing.  Their  faces  beam  with  intelligence  and  interest.  Our  two  mi.ssion- 
boats  are  old  acquaintances  of  theirs.  They  readily  divine  what  missionaries  are  in  them.  By 
the  peculiar  telegraphy  begotten  of  Christian  fellowship,  the  news  has  someway  reached  them 
that  the  two  American  visitors  are  likewise  coming,  and  so  these  two  dear  evangelists  have  come 
out  as  did  the  ancient  brethren  to  Appii  Forum  and  the  Three  Taverns,  to  Paul,  to  greet  us. 

We  all  anchor,  and  they  come  on  board,  and  most  politely  and  formally  present  to  us  their 
salutations.  These  two  men  have  been  out  for  six  weeks  in  a  round  of  evangelizing.  One  of 
them  brings  a  simple  map  of  the  district  they  have  traversed,  with  their  route  traced  in  red  ink. 
They  have  gone  "  two  and  two,"  apostle-like.  They  have  enjoyed  it  much,  have  found  respect- 
ful hearing,  have  sold  many  Scriptures  and  tracts.  "  Wouldn't  they  like  to  give  it  up,  and  return 
to  idolatry?"  I  ventured  to  ask  one  of  them.  The  reply  came  with  electric  vehemence,  "No! 
it  would  fill  my  heart  with  misery."  When  this  man  was  converted,  his  mother  was  a  wizard; 
she  used  to  climb  knife-ladders  and  walk  on  live  coals  of  fire,  and  practice  many  enchantments. 
When  the  son  told  her  of  his  decision,  she  replied,  "  You  are  right,  and  I  will  join  you."  "  That 
woman,"  said  the  son,  "  now  has  forty-two  descendants  who  have  ceased  from  idol  worship." 

While  we  were  thus  conversing,  Dr.  Ashmore  and  an  evangelist  have  begun  preaching  to  the 
villagers  who  swarm  about  them  on  shore.  A  few  minutes  later,  and  my  man  is  also  at  it  with 
boldness  and  fervor.  Paul's  argument  at  Lystra  or  on  Mars  Hill,  or  some  other  apostolic  prece- 
dent, is  by  these  men,  Ashmore-trained,  as  a  rule  followed  everywhere  ;  and  some  with  the  same 
kinds  of  effect.  Some  believe;  others  look  sceptical,  and  ^-^ 
many  scoff.    Frequently  one  comes  again,  or  asks  a  question  /•  '  '  "* 

revealing  anxiety  to  know  the  truth.    The  universal  testimony  ,,{ 
is,  "The  doctrine  is  good,  but  hard  to  put  in  practice."  s-y^- 
Some  have  lieard  before ;  all  confess  to  guilt. 

Evening. —  Again  we  anchor  alongside  a  fleet  of  General  * 
Ah-Pung's  gunboats.  Dr.  Ashmore  is  calling  to  me  to  come 
on,  that  we  may  hold  a  little  meeting  in  the  village.  I  act  as 
the  stool  pigeon  while  Dr.  Ashmore  draws  the  gospel  net. 
We  sally  out.  Dr.  Ashmore  and  his  two  students  in  training 
as  evangelists,  and  cross  the  rice-fields  for  a  half-mile,  ferry- 
ing a  canal  by  a  boat,  managed  by  a  leper. 

We  approach  a  town  snugly  ensconced  under  a  lot  of  grand 
spreading  banyan  trees,  which  would  appear  to  be  one  or  two 

hundred  years  old.    We  thread  our  way  through  a  narrow  ^^^^'^'O'^E- 
street,  followed  by  a  crowd  of  inquisitives,  inexpressibly  filthy  and  vile  in  person  and  speech,  and 
enter  an  open  space.    There  taking  our  stand.  Dr.  Ashmore  starts  off  one  evangelist,  and  at  a 
little  distance  another.    A  hundred  people  have  surrounded  us.    First  and  nearest  in  the  inner 
circle  is  a  lot  of  small  boys  ;  then  larger  boys  ;  then  those  taller  still ;  then  stalwart  men  :  and 


So 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


hovering  on  the  outside  of  the  circle  a  numl)er  of  women.  To  stand  in  the  centre  of  a  crowd 
like  that,  having  every  eye  gazing  into  yours  as  if  to  bore  you  through  with  inquiry,  to  think 
that  it  is  the  only  time  you  will  ever  thus  face  that  crowd,  and  they  destitute  of  hope  for  this 
life  or  the  next,  and  be  unable  to  speak  —  ah,  my  brother  in  America!  complacent  over  the  state 
of  the  heathen  while  you  luxuriate  in  all  Christian  privileges,  put  yourself  there,  and  you'll  not  be 
indifferent. 

I  accepted  the  bench  a  man  brought  me,  and  in  a  moment  more  the  youthful  native  evangelist 
began.    At  once  he  reminds  them  of  the  true  God  who  reigns  above,  who  gives  the  rains  and 


BANYAN  TREE. 


fruitful  seasons  from  heaven,  etc.  A  moment  more,  and  a  little  bullet-eyed  man,  the  least  intelli- 
gent-looking one  of  the  crowd,  breaks  out :  "  You  say  there  is  a  heaven.  Of  course  there  is  a 
heaven  and  a  God  in  it ;  else  how  should  we  get  anything  to  eat  ?"  The  heathen  are  not  the 
ignorant  creatures  we  take  them  to  be.    The  first  sermon  was  about  three  minutes  long. 

Then  Dr.  Ashmore  began,  and  for  five  minutes  more  he  gave  them  an  apostolic  broadside. 
Eloquent  always,  he  is  peculiarly  himself  with  a  heathen  audience  before  him.  As  he  made  point 
after  point  on  God,  sin,  judgment,  pardon  through  Christ,  heaven  and  hell,  there  was  riveted 
attention.  It  was  a  study  to  watch  their  faces.  Several  kept  nodding  assent,  as  point  after  point 
was  made.    It  was  perfectly  evident  that  they  recognized  as  true  the  great  salient  points  made. 


The  Sou t //cm   C/iina  Mis.sio?i. 


8l 


It  was  also,  alas  !  just  as  evident  that  most  of  them  took  it  just  as  sinners  do  at  home.  They 
said:  "  It  is  true,  but  tlie  trouble  is  in  my  business,  as  opium-selling  or  idol-making.    I  can't 
afford    to   submit   to   the  truth." 
"  When  they  knew  C'.od,  they  glori- 
fied him  not  as  God." 

.Vs  we  departed,  said  the  doctor 
to  me:  "A  few  years  ago  in  a 
village  like  this,  we  would  have 
been  hooted  out  of  town  under 
showers  of  gravel  stones  ;  but  now, 
note  the  respectful  attention." 

Coming  back  to  the  boat,  many 
followed  us.  All  were  respectful ; 
and  as  we  came  along  the  bank  to 
our  boat,  passing  three  or  four  rude 
gunboats  of  General  Ah-Pung  lying 
near,  one  of  the  soldiers  asked  Dr. 
Ashmore,  "  \'enerable  teacher,  have 
you  had  your  rice  ? "  That  is  better 
than  the  epithet  "  foreign  devil," 
with  which  in  the  past  the  mission- 
aries used  to  be  saluted.    Still,  you 

must  not  imagine  that  there  is  much  in  such  a  locality  as  this  but  the  rankest  heathenism, 
squalor,  ignorance,  poverty  and  misery.    Heathenism  is  something  awful,  especially  in  China. 

There  is  light  in  the  gloom,  however.  While  I  am  writing  (it  is  8  o'clock  in  the  evening),  out 
on  the  deck  of  our  boat,  our  good  cook,  a  deacon  of  the  Swatow  church,  is  holding  forth  in  the 
moonlight  to  a  few  natives  about  him,  preaching  the  gospel  to  them  with  the  intensest  feeling. 
Brother  Foster  tells  me  he  is  expatiating  on  "The  Character  of  the  True,  the  Highest,  the 
Holiest  God."  "  Our  work  is  to  call  men  to  the  way  of  righteousness,  the  way  of  peace,  the  way 
of  heaven.  This  way  is  narrow.  The  way  of  the  opium-eater  is  broad,  so  men  don't  like  this," 
etc.  Now  he  is  straightening  out  the  Fung  Shway  superstition  in  good  style.  Now  he  is 
urging  the  blessedness  of  the  Sabbath.  Now  he  gives  a  parable.  The  essentials  of  the  way  of 
salvation  are  now  being  urged.  Now  the  verse  of  a  hymn  rises  on  the  evening  air.  And  so  the 
dear  good  man  goes  on.  He  has  just  added  :  "  The  merits  of  Christ  are  beyond  compare.  It's 
no  use  to  worship  your  ancestors,"  etc.  May  the  .Spirit  send  the  truth  home  to  his  little 
audience  !    All  day  long  the  man  has  kept  this  up. 


OUR  CARRIAGE. 


<?i?ao-(;i70u;-fu.  _      ,  , 

^  '  Jvovember  26. 

This  morning  we  rose  at  5  o'clock,  and  leaving  our  house-boats  to  be  returned  to  .Swatow,  we 
prepared  to  strike  across  the  country  about  six  miles  to  Chao-chow-fu,  the  next  largest  city  to 


82 


In  Brig-// test  Asia. 


Canton  in  this  province  of  Kwan-tung.  We  had  four  sedan  chairs,  each  borne  on  tlie  shoulders 
of  two  strong  coolies,  and  several  porters  for  the  baggage.  Besides  these  were  our  preachers  and 
cook.  This  does  not  reckon  in  the  escort  of  small  boys,  Chinese  dogs,  and  occasionally  a  />lack 
pig  or  two,  which  from  village  to  village  volunteered  their  escort. 

Our  route  was  along  a  serpentine,  narrow  roadway  or  path  ;  the  usual  style  of  passageway  in 
China  running  directly  through  the  fields,  there  never  being  such  a  thing  anywhere  as  a  fence  or 
a  piece  of  land  laid  out  at  right  angles.  These  roads  are  often  made  of  concrete,  smooth  and 
well  finished.    All  along  as  we  came,  there  were  patches  of  sugar  cane,  rice-fields,  turnips  and 


CHINESE  TOMBS. 

cabbages.  All  sorts  of  small  farming  is  here  carried  to  a  high  pitch  of  economic  cultivation. 
Every  particle  of  sewage,  such  as  in  America  is  commonly  wasted,  is  preserved  in  great  earthen 
jars,  and  used  upon  the  fields.  The  smells,  to  say  the  least,  rival  those  of  Cologne.  Villages  are 
huddled  in  at  intervals  of  every  half-mile  or  so,  and  the  emblems  of  idolatry  and  ancestral  worship 
are  everywhere  seen. 

Having  arrived  at  the  city  of  Chao-chow-fu,  we  found  it  like  all  others  that  I  have  seen  in  its 
general  features  —  its  buildings  of  stone  or  cement  crowded  closely  together,  in  which  the  people 
herd  like  swine,  with  narrow  streets  indescribably  filthy.  Of  course  the  entrance  into  the  town 
of  four  foreigners  was  the  signal  for  a  sensation  of  the  first  order.    Barnum's  Circus  was  never 


The  Southern  China  Mission. 


83 


eyed  more  intensely  than  was  our  procession  ;  for  the  four  hours  vvc  were  in  the  city,  we  were 
amid  a  lot  of  hangers-on. 

We  visited  our  little  native  chapel,  where  we  met  a  couple  of  evangelists.  We  called  at  the 
Presbyterian  Hospital,  and  found  100  patients  in  waiting.  Here  we  saw  a  poor  victim  of  opium 
under  treatment,  cliained  to  his  bed.  He  had  been  there  twice  before,  but  each  time  had  run  away 
to  indulge  his  raging  appetite,  so  fearfully  diil  he  suffer.  The  third  time  he  came  of  his  own 
accord,  and  begged  to  be  chained,  that  he  might  be  compelled  to  remain  the  fifteen  days  necessary 
for  treatment.  His  distressed  father,  a  Christian  preacher,  sat  by  his  bedside  trying  to  comfort 
and  encourage  his  poor  boy.  As  we  knelt  to  pray  with  the  sorrowing  yet  courageous  couple,  never 
did  I  realize  more  vividly  the  awful  curse  that  the  opium  traffic  has  thrust  upon  poor  benighted 
China. 

We  next  visited  a  Confucian  Temple,  the  Examination  Halls,  and  especially  Gold  Hill,  a 
high  lookout  on  one  side  of  the  city,  from  which  a  superb  view  was  had.  From  this  hill  we  could 
take  in  a  wide  range  of  city,  country,  river,  and  especially  mountain  scenery. 

The  most  impressive  feature  was  the  vast  area  of  mountain-sides,  on  the  northwest  side  of 
the  city,  completely  covered,  from  the  lofty  summits  away  down  into  the  valley  and  plains,  with 
graves.  In  this  case  the  graves  are  marked  with  gray  stones  at  the  head  of  the  small  mounds. 
It  seemed  to  me  there  was  an  extent  of  several  hundred  acres  completely  filled ;  and  Dr.  Ash- 
more  tells  me  that  in  many  cases  the  graves  are  filled  tJiree  deep !  For  ages  and  ages  the  dead 
have  been  carried  there.  It  was  to  us  melancholy  in  the  extreme,  radiant  as  was  the  sunshine 
that  gilded  the  purpled  hills.  It  was  like  a  look  into  some  illuminated  Gehenna,  symbolic  of 
China's  whole  civilization  —  an  ancient  sepulchre,  but  a  sepulchre  still.  But  resurrection  life  has 
begun  to  stir  in  this  valley  of  dry  bones,  and  these  bones  shall  yet  live  and  stand  upon  their  feet, 
an  exceeding  great  army.    May  the  Lord  hasten  it  in  His  time  ! 


f\  Quaipt  Brid<^e. 

At  Chao-chow-fu  there  is  a  quaint  old  bridge  over  the  river,  probably  1,500  feet  in  length,  a 
curious  combination  of  stone  arch,  wood  and  pontoon.  About  a  third  of  the  way  across  the 
stream,  the  stone-work  ceases ;  and  descending  some  massive  stone  steps,  you  come  upon  the 
pontoon  part,  which  crosses  the  main  channel  of  the  river.  This  pontoon  can  be  opened  to 
admit  the  passage  of  tall-masted  boats.  Passing  this  section,  you  ascend  to  the  main  bridge 
again.  There  are  some  fifteen  or  sixteen  large  stone  piers  in  the  bridge,  between  which  stretch 
long  stone  slabs,  about  forty  feet  in  length,  which  form  the  bridge  floors.  But  what  is  especially 
remarkable,  on  each  of  these  piers  are  clustered  several  buildings  —  shops,  in  which  all  sorts  of 
trade  are  carried  on.  The  buildings  extend  balcony-like  over  the  outer  edges  of  the  piers,  and 
are  "shored"  up  by  poles  which  extend  down  into  the  river-bed,  to  help  support  the  buildings. 
To  cap  all,  in  several  cases,  a  large  banyan  tree  is  growing  directly  out  of  the  side  of  a  pier, 
covering  the  huddle  of  shops  with  its  grateful  shade.  These  Chinese  are  original.  For  a 
bridge,  this  is  the  most  unique  thing  I  have  seen. 


84 


Ju  Ih-iglitcst  Asia. 


At  Cliao-chow-fu  we  saw  many  specimens  of  the  H.ikka  people  and  of  tlieir  numerous  boats, 
anchored  below  the  quaint  old  bridge  which  spans  the  river  which  issues  from  the  Hakka  country. 
It  was  no  small  disappointment  to  Brother  Campbell  that  we  were  unable  to  go  out  into  the 

Hakka  district,  where  he  has  been 
pioneering  for  two  or  three  years. 
Brother  Campbell  describes  these 
people  as  being  a  distinct  race 
among  the  various  branches  of  the 
Chinese  people.  They  claim  to 
have  originally  come  from  the  Fo- 
Kien  Province,  about  600  years 
ago.  Dr.  Eitel  says  respecting 
them:  "If  the  Maotze  or  moun- 
tain tribes  of  West  China  may  be 
described  as  the  Britons,  the 
Cantonese  as  the  Saxons,  and  the 
Haklos  as  the  Danes  of  Chinese 
civilization,  the  Hakkas  must  be 
characterized  as  the  Normans." 

They  are  superior  to  other 
Chinese  people  in  fondness  for 
education,  in  refusing  the  foot- 
binding  of  their  women,  and  in 
other  important  respects.  Their 
dialect  is  the  connecting  link 
between  the  Cantonese  and  the 
Mandarin,  resembling  closely  the  latter.  They  occupy  parts  of  five  provinces.  If  we  ever  mean 
to  permanently  strike  the  roots  of  our  work  inland  from  the  old  and  well-worked  station  of  Swa- 
tow,  it  seems  as  if  the  work  among  the  Hakkas  should  be  reinforced  and  pressed.  With  this 
Dr.  Ashmore  strongly  agrees.  Brethren  Campbell  and  Norvell  have  explored  the  district  widely 
in  several  directions,  and  report  the  people  as  friendly,  willing  to  purchase  tracts  and  Scriptures, 
and  tolerant  of  foreigners  desiring  to  live  in  the  region.  The  Lutherans  have  an  extensive 
work  among  them,  and  the  English  Presbyterians  are  effecting  entrance  also. 

Last  Sabbath  I  had  a  most  delightful  interview  with  Brother  Campbell's  Hakka  teacher,  who 
has  lately  been  converted.  He  is  an  unusually  handsome  fellow,  of  fine  features,  light  com- 
plexion and  graceful  figure.  His  hands  impressed  me  as  exceedingly  graceful,  with  long,  tapering 
fingers  and  the  whitest  of  nails.  He  was  clad  in  a  long,  clean  sky-blue  tunic,  white  stockings 
and  satin  shoes.  His  answers  to  my  searching  questions  were  touching.  Brother  Campbell 
interpreted.    We  prayed  together.    On  departing,  the  dear  fellow  wished  Mr.  Campbell  to  say  to 


-MK.  CAMIT.ICLL. 


Tlic  Southern  (^liiiia  Missi'ui. 


me  that  he  "was  ten  times  glad  to  have  seen  me,  and  tliat  lie  thought  I  was  ten  times  good  to 
take  so  much  interest  to  come  and  see  Chinaman,  and  talk  kindly  with  him." 

There  is  special  satisfaction  to  me  in  these  face-to-face  talks  with  such  trophies  of  grace  met 
with  in  these  lands.  I  do  not  find  it  difficult  to  love  the  Chinese.  The  image  of  Christ  in  them, 
either  real  or  prospective,  fascinates  one  beyond  mea.sure. 

This  afternoon  we  are  all  aboard  a  Hakka  boat  which  we  engaged  at  Chao-chow-fu,  and  are 
having  a  delightful  sail  down  the  Han  River.    We  are  floating  past  banyan  and  banana  groves, 


A  HAKKA  BOAT. 


by  orange  orchards  loaded  with  the  tempting  golden  fruit,  along  sand  bars  yellow  in  the  sunshine, 
past  pagodas  old  and  shrub-grown,  —  all  in  decay,  —  meeting  and  passing  all  sorts  of  odd  and 
primitive  river  crafts.    To-morrow  will  be  your  Thanksgiving  Day. 

November  27. 

We  are  just  leaving  for  Hongkong  again.  Brother  Foster  came  off  with  us  to  the  steamer. 
Dr.  Ashmore  bidding  us  farewell  from  the  pier,  and  tenderly  turning  back  to  his  continued 
work.  The  dear  old  servant  of  Dr.  Ashmore,  Deacon  Siau  Thong,  whose  preaching  on  the  boat 
I  have  mentioned,  also  came  with  us  to  the  steamer.  What  a  grip  he  gave  us,  and  such  a  smile, 
and  petition  to  pray  for  him,  as  he  laid  down  our  luggage  on  the  deck  and  turned  to  descend  the 
ladder.     Now  we  are  off.    Again  the  little  mission-boat  turns  back  to  the  self-imposed  exile 


86 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


for  Jesus'  sake.  We  move  out  through  the  straits  into  the  broad  sea,  which  laves  all  shores,  and 
from  its  very  vastness  proclaims  the  unity  of  all  lands  and  all  human  kind.  The  several  white 
houses  of  the  mission  compound  yonder,  peering  through  the  foliage  and  rising  on  the  bold  rocks, 
stand  firm  and  glowing  in  the  evening  sunset.  From  the  wide  veranda  of  the  house  standing  on 
the  highest  peak.  Dr.  Ashmore's  house,  we  faintly  see  (for  it  is  a  mile  away)  a  group  of  shadowy 
figures,  and  can  just  discern  a  waving  handkerchief.  It  seems  to  say  to  us  again  :  "  Don't  for- 
get us  in  the  home-land!  pray  for  us,  and  send  us  helpers."  We  return  the  salute.  The  heart 
sighs  its  sympathy  and  fellowship,  and  audil^ly  we  say,  "God  bless,  keep  and  reward  them!" 
We  turn  also  a  glance  across  to  the  other  shore,  to  take  in  the  row  of  a  half-dozen  houses  of  the 
Presbyterian  Mission,  and  breathe  a  similar  prayer.  A  few  minutes  later,  as  we  rapidly  move 
away,  the  shores  vanish  from  our  sight,  while  in  memory,  sympathetic  and  blessed,  the  scene 
remains  indelible  forever. 


DEACON  SIAU  T1I(J\(j. 


Canton  and  Macao. 


87 


CHAPTER  XI. 

($a9to9  ai^d  (T\aeao. 

November  29. 

AGAIN  we  are  aboard  a  great  river  boat,  as  large  and  fine  as  anything  on  tlie  Hudson, 
and  we  are  steaming  up  the  river  ninety  miles  to  Canton.    The  glow  of  the  tropical 
twilight  reddens  the  whole  western  sky,  and  tints  the  far-spreading  bay,  and  makes  the 
mountains  roseate,  so  that  again  we  float  as  in  a  dreamland  of  beauty.    A  half-dozen 
passengers  in  the  cabin  and  some  hundreds  of  Chinese  in  the  second  cabin  and  steerage,  fill  the 
ship,  and  remind  us  where  we  are. 

A  comfortable  night  is  passed,  and  at  7  o'clock  we  arrive  at  the  steamer's  wharf  in  Canton, 
amid  a  sea  of  floating  Chinese  houses,  including  even  floating  hotels ;  a  peculiarity  of  Canton 
being  that  not  less  than  200,000  people  live  in  boats  on  the  river.  These  are  the  only  homes 
these  people  ever  know.  There  are  800,000  living  in  the  city;  but  these  live,  rear  their  families, 
and  ply  their  trades  wholly  in  boats,  — house-boats  of  all  sizes  and  descriptions.  Many  of  them 
are  rowed  by  women  and  girls,  often  by  a  mother  with  a  baby  tied  to  her  back.  The  woman 
stands  up  in  the  stern  of  the  boat,  and  sculls  with  a  long  sweep,  swaying  to  and  fro  —  a  motion 
which  the  baby  seems  to  enjoy,  often  falling  asleep  under  it.  It  is  common  to  see  a  two-year- 
old  child  at  the  end  of  a  cord  by  which  it  is  tied  for  safety,  straining  over  the  edge  of  the  boat 
to  look  into  the  water,  or  to  watch  the  movements  in  the  boat  next  door  to  it.  As  our  steamer 
landed,  Brother  Simmons  met  us,  and  took  us  to  the  mission-house  of  our  Southern  Convention 
Board.    Here  we  met  Dr.  R.  H.  Graves  and  wife  and  a  pleasant  circle  of  missionary  sisters. 

Dr.  Graves  and  Mr.  Simmons  are  both  veterans  on  the  field,  and  thoroughly  at  home  among 
the  Chinese.  Over  600  members  have  been  gathered  into  the  churches,  planted  in  seven  or  eight 
stations.  During  the  last  year  some  seventy-five  additions  were  won  from  among  the  heathen. 
Dr.  Graves'  method  of  training  his  converts  and  gathering  from  among  them  the  more  promising 
as  evangelists  and  pastors,  struck  us  as  admirable.  All  new-made  converts,  as  a  rule,  are 
brought  in  at  intervals  for  several  weeks  of  each  year,  and  pass  through  a  sort  of  testing  process 
under  Dr.  Graves'  hand.  It  is  not  strange  that  many  a  young  David,  one  anointed  of  God, 
thus  sought,  is  found  among  the  sons  of  Jesse.  The  women's  work  is  here  also  well  handled 
under  the  skilled  direction  of  Misses  Whilden,  Hartwell,  McMinn  and  others.  A  fine  lot  of  girls 
are  being  trained  for  all  good  things. 

Canton,  Sunday,  November  30. 
This  morning  we  went  to  the  native  church  here,  a  body  of  some  300  members.    It  was  a 
refreshing  sight  to  see  the  native  pastor  preaching  with  such  earnestness  and  power.    (Text  i 
Thess.  ii.  13.)    A  church  meeting  followed.    A  woman  was  received  and  baptized.    This  church 


ss 


Jn  Brightest  Asia. 


is  self-supporting  wlioUy ;  in  fact,  supports  two  churches  besides.  The  work  of  our  Soutliern 
brethren  here  is  flourishing.    There  are  only  three  male  missionaries. 

I  have  just  been  to  their  afternoon  Sunday  school,  and  given  them  a  fifteen-minute  talk,  which 
Dr.  Graves  interpreted.  Their  eyes  kindled  as  if  it  struck  in.  I  am  getting  to  like  this  speaking 
through  an  interpreter.    I  find  the  pauses  between  paragraphs  give  me  time  to  pack  in  the  tersest 


FLOATING  HOUSES. 


things,  and  they  some  way  go  home.  In  a  service  of  Mr.  Herring's  at  Shanghai,  I  had  spoken 
with  considerable  liberty  on  the  power  which  Christ  imparts  to  us  when  we  welcome  himself, 
and  not  a  mere  doctrine  about  him,  into  our  hearts,  and  illustrated  it  pretty  freely.  Mr.  Herring 
interpreted  freely  for  me,  and  the  eyes  of  my  hearers  were  sparkling;  but  when  Mr.  Herring 
had  finished,  a  coolie  member  of  the  church,  in  the  back  part  of  the  room,  not  satisfied  with  the 
interpretation,  arose,  and,  turning  to  his  companion  coolies,  several  of  whom  were  about  him, 
went  all  over  the  matter  again,  reinterpreting  Mr.  Herring's  interpretation,  and  finally  wound  up 


sci:m-:  near  macao. 


90 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


by  saying:  "  That's  what  he  said,  and  it  has  warmed  my  heart  and  done  me  good,  and  I  want 
it  to  do  you  good."  Tiiis  man  was  a  member  of  the  church,  but  for  years  has  not  been  heard 
before  to  say  a  word  in  any  of  the  meetings.  He  was  a  poor  fellow,  bare-footed,  who  earns  his 
living  by  water-carrying  at  7  cents  a  day.  Thus  one  backslider  was  unearthed.  It  effected  quite 
a  sensation  in  the  church. 

Yesterday  we  went  to  tiffin  at  the  American  consul's,  by  invitation.  Hon.  Charles  Seymour  of 
La  Crosse,  Wis.,  is  the  capable  incumbent.  He  and  his  accomplished  wife,  who  had  heard 
me  preach  to  the  people  of  the  foreign  settlement  the  night  before,  gave  us  cordial  welcome  and 
genuine  hospitalit}'.  Dr.  Happer  of  the  Presbyterian  Mission,  a  veteran  in  China,  and  Mr. 
Simmons  were  also  invited.  We  were  most  agreeably  entertained,  and  the  consul  gave  us  much 
light  respecting  treaty  relations  between  our  government  and  China.  He  has  had  good  success 
in  securing  indemnities  from  the  Chinese  government  in  cases  where  mission  properties  have 
from  time  to  time  been  destroyed  by  mobs. 

Jl7(?  To/nti  of  /r\orrisoi7. 

Macao  Harbor,  6  p.m. 

Well,  we  have  put  in  a  few  hours  in  doing  this  quaint  old  Portuguese  town  (colonized  by  the 
Portuguese  over  300  years  ago),  and  are  off  by  another  steamer  for  Hongkong  to-night.  We 
here  found  the  L's,  just  out  from  Minneapolis.  Mrs.  L.  was  in  our  late  institute  a  pupil  of  mine. 
How  little  I  anticipated  such  a  meeting  in  China,  on  the  day  when  this  sister  first  called  on  me, 
desiring  to  enter  my  training  class,  to  better  prepare  for  her  intended  work.  This  is  the  third 
of  my  own  pupils  I  am  meeting  on  the  mission-fields  —  one  in  Japan,  one  in  China,  and  I  trust 
one  in  Assam. 

They  were  delighted  to  see  us,  and  they  went  with  us  to  visit  Morrison's  grave,  and  the  garden 
in  memoriam  of  Camoens,  the  poet,  who  here  wrote  the  "  Lusiad."  We  also  called  on  the  McClovs, 
missionaries  of  the  Southern  Board.  Dr.  Morrison,  his  wife  Mary,  and  his  son  J.  R.  all  sleep  in 
plain  stone  sarcophagi  in  one  corner  of  a  very  prettily  kept  cemetery.  It  was  an  impressive  thing 
to  stand  there  for  a  few  moments.  What  Carey  was  to  India,  Morrison  was  to  China.  It  is  eighty- 
two  years  since  he  landed  in  China.  He  translated  the  Scriptures  and  compiled  a  Chinese  diction- 
ary, and  for  twenty-seven  years  pioneered  everything  good  for  China.  He  won  perhaps  a  dozen 
converts,  yet  in  the  main  he  died  without  the  sight  for  which  his  lofty  spirit  yearned.  We  trod  rev- 
erently the  ground  about  that  tomb  in  the  southeast  corner  of  the  walled  cemetery.  We  plucked 
a  leaf  from  the  tree  which  droops  over  the  square  stone  sarcophagus  which  contains  the  dust  of 
one  of  the  greatest  of  earth's  victors,  and  breathed  a  deeper  prayer  for  China's  millions. 

The  city  is  very  picturesquely  situated  on  hills,  and  many  are  the  buildings  which  present  a  strik- 
ing semi-European  appearance.  There  is  a  fine  old  ruin  of  a  cathedral  long  since  burned.  The 
place  is  largely  Catholic,  of  course,  there  being  some  7,000  Portuguese  living  here.  The  blight 
on  the  place,  however,  is  in  the  fact  that  it  is  the  great  gambling-place  of  the  whole  region, —  the 
Baden-Baden  of  China,  —  people  coming  to  it  from  Hongkong  and  elsewhere,  both  men  and 
women,  Europeans  as  well  as  natives,  and  spending  Sundays  gambling  with  desperation. 


Medical  .Missioti  IVor/c  in  i  liina. 


9^ 


CHAPTER  XII. 

(T\edieal  /ir\issioi7  uyorl^  (^l^ii^a. 

5}?(?  (?Iaim  /T\ade  for  It. 

IS  tlii.s  a  properly  distinctive  undertaking  for  Cliristian  missions  to  engage  in?  Should  \vc  so 
highly  regard  the  body  and  the  treatment  of  its  maladies?  Can  a  mission  force  afford 
to  become  a  hospital  staft'  ?  Will  it  not  be  so  cumbered  and  harassed  by  unfortunates  of 
every  description  as  to  practically  preclude  the  exercise  of  the  higher  spiritual  functions? 
Is  it  not  a  confession  of  failure  for  Christianity  to  turn  from  humanity  in  its  virility  and  vigor, 
and  address  itself  so  prominently  to  the  invalided?  Should  we  not  aim  to  meet  the  heathen 
in  their  strength,  and  conquer  them  on  the  high  places 
of  the  field  ? 

Since  coming  to  China,  queries  like  these  have 
forced  themselves  upon  us.  It  is  claimed  by  some 
that  the  real  nature  of  Christianity  renders  works  of 
mercy  like  these  of  fundamental  importance  for  their 
own  sake ;  and,  again,  that  it  is  an  arrangement  in 
the  economy  of  grace  that  those  who  will  attend  to 
these  primal  wants  and  w-oes  of  men  in  Christ-like 
fashion,  are  sure  to  be  honored  by  the  Saviour  of  men 
in  finding  the  way  thus  opened  for  a  speedier  and  surer 
reception  of  the  gospel.  It  must  be  confessed  that  our 
Lord  thus  wrought  in  His  earthly  ministry.  He  desired 
mercy  rather  than  sacrifice,  and  He  always  won  sacri- 
fice to  His  service  in  quarters  where  conviction  was 
produced  of  the  reality  and  depth  of  His  mercy. 

When  that  chief  of  prophets,  John  the  Baptist,  amid 
his  dire  sorrows  and  persecutions,  fell  into  a  momentary 
fit  of  doubt,  and  sent  to  Jesus  for  reassurance  of  faith, 
Jesus  replied  :  "Go  your  way,  and  tell  John  what  things 
ye  have  seen  and  heard ;  how  that  the  blind  see,  the 
lame  walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed,  the  deaf  hear,  the 
dead  are  raised,  to  the  poor  the  gospel  is  preached." 

NESTORIAN  TABLET. 


92 


In  BrigJitcst  Asia. 


Jesus  indeed  \vrouj;lU  these  merciful  sii;ns  l)y  miracle  ;  but  Chrislianit}'  in  the  world  is  a  standing 
miracle,  and  the  healing  art  of  modern  science  is  one  of  the  miracles  of  Christianity. 

The  evangelical  results  already  achieved  in  some  successful  missions  have  been  reached 
through  a  large  regard  to  the  physical  woes  as  well  as  to  the  spiritual  needs  of  the  people.  These 
means  have  proved  availing  to  awaken  appreciation  of  the  temper  of  missions,  and  to  enable 
the  natives  to  discriminate  between  their  real  friends  and  their  enemies  among  foreigners.  Mer- 
ciful healing  ministries  may  then  be  regarded,  and,  in  fact,  are  regarded,  not  of  the  nature  of  a 
lure,  but  of  an  authentication  of  something  unselfish  and  divine. 

A  prominent  missionary  put  the  whole  thing  in  a  nutshell  when  he  said  to  us:  "  Hospital 
ministrations  are  a  safe  form  of  showing  kindness  to  the  Chinaman."  The  Chinaman  in  his  native 
state  is  nothing  if  not  avaricious.  The  novice,  therefore,  on  coming  as  a  missionary  to  China, 
needs  to  be  put  on  his  guard  from  the  moment  he  reaches  San  Francisco  to  take  the  steamer,  that 
any  intended  kindness  to  John  in  the  way  of  moneyed  gratuity  is  misdirected,  and  sure  to  awaken 
his  self-interest  rather  than  gratitude.  Yet  certainly  he  who  would  benefit  people  with  the  gospel 
must  first  establish  a  friendly  relation,  and  especially  among  the  heathen,  where  many  well-war- 
ranted and  deep-seated  suspicions  against  foreigners  have  been  planted.  In  the  view  of  many 
who  have  tried  it,  the  Christian  hospital  is  one  of  the  least  objectionable  methods  that  can  be 
employed  in  China. 

j^ovu  It  U/orl^5. 

When  a  man  has  become  an  in-patient  in  a  hospital  (not  a  mere  hanger-on  of  a  dispensary), 
where  probably  he  must  lie  in  bed  for  several  days  or  weeks,  and  while  under  treatment  must 
observe  unselfish,  unpaid-for  skilful  attention  from  the  Christian  surgeon  or  nurse,  he  will  begin 
to  study  about  it.  It  is  then  his  heart  will  melt  and  open.  For  the  first  time  since  he  was  born, 
he  will  realize  what  benevolence  is.  This  sense  is  fundamental  to  any  apprehension  of  the  gospel. 
It  is  also  index  of  a  radical  change  in  the  man's  estimate  of  the  missionary  as  a  representative  of 
the  gospel.  The  Christ-like  has  dawned  on  the  heathen.  Still  further,  when  the  patient  shall 
have  recovered  and  returned  to  his  home,  he  will  carry  the  report  and  spirit  of  the  place  where 
he  has  found  healing.  Again,  as  in  Christ's  time,  the  mercy  shown  becomes  the  authentication  of 
a  heavenly  mission.  Dr.  Gillison  of  Hankow  told  us  that  he  had  often  been  thrilled  with  delight 
to  observe  the  awakening  of  appreciation,  and  so  of  a  man's  moral  sense,  as  if  by  miracle,  as  the 
result  of  some  slight  attention  bestowed  on  a  patient.  It  might  be  from  only  the  tucking  in  of 
a  man's  foot  exposed  to  a  draught  of  air.  He  further  testified  that  as  the  result  of  two  operations 
for  cataract  on  the  eyes  of  two  sisters  from  one  household,  a  village  was  opened  to  the  gospel, 
nearly  a  whole  clan  was  converted,  and  a  promising  church  organized. 

Connected  with  all  the  hospitals  are  gospel  halls,  in  which  services  are  daily  held,  which 
patients  in  waiting  must  attend  before  they  have  access  to  the  consulting-rooms.  Evangelists 
and  Bible-women  here  render  service  in  the  wards  for  men  and  women  respectively.  On  all  the 
walls  are  hung  handsome  and  striking  texts  of  Scripture  to  greet  the  eye,  and  burn  their  way  into 
the  memories  of  the  sufferers,  who  observe  them  for  weeks  together. 


Medical  Mission  Work  in  China. 


93 


Jt^i?  pr(^ser7t  Status. 

There  are  at  present  sixty-one  hospitals  and  forty-four  additional  dispensaries  in  connection 
with  our  I'rotestant  missions  in  China,  and  last  year  there  were  350,000  patients.  Of  course 
none  would  claim  that  evangelical  impressions  were  made  upon  so  large  a  number.  We  have 
taken  pains  personally  to  inspect  six  of  these  institutions,  located  respectively  at  Shanghai,  Nan- 


IIOSPITAL  AT  SWATOW. 


king,  Hankow,  Ningpo,  Swatow,  and  Canton,  and  looked  up  the  workings  of  as  many  more. 
We  gleaned  the  following  facts :  — 

In  the  Margaret  Williamson  Hospital  for  women  at  Shanghai,  there  were  9,000  patients  the 
first  year  it  opened,  and  27,000  prescriptions  filled.  At  our  own  hospital  at  Ningpo,  now  in  charge 
of  Dr.  Grant,  founded  by  the  untiring  devotion  of  Dr.  Barchet,  who  wore  himself  out  in  this 
service,  it  was  a  common  thing  to  have  300  patients  daily,  and  10,000  in  a  single  year.  In  the 
Presbyterian  hospital  at  Swatow  last  year,  in  which  there  were  5,830  persons  treated  and  1,129 
operations  performed,  the  patients  came  from  1,780  towns  and  villages  through  four  prefectures. 


94 


In  Brightest  As/a. 


For  fifcv-six  years  the  hospital  in  Canton  has  been  i)ouring  forth  a  stream  of  practical  benevo- 
lence, the  reflex  benefit  of  which  has  been  reaped  by  all  denominations.  Its  Chinese  name, 
translated,  is  "  The  Hospital  of  Broad  and  Free  Beneficence,"  and  the  locality  about  it  is  known 
as  "The  Great  Street  of  Benevolence  and  Rectitude."    It  was  my  privilege  twice  to  preach  there 

to  English-speaking  people.  The  present  senior 
surgeon.  Dr.  J.  G.  Kerr,  has  been  in  service  thirty- 
five  years,  in  which  time  there  have  been  over  half 
a  million  patients  and  25,000  operations. 

Besides  all  this.  Dr.  Kerr  has  found  time  to  really 
lay  the  foundations  of  a  medical  college.  For  years 
he  has  had  in  training  certain  promising  assistants, 
some  thirty  of  whom  have  taken  a  full  and  systematic 
course  and  obtained  certificates.  One  of  these  we 
saw  lecturing  to  a  class  on  anatomy,  manipulating  a 
manikin.  Another,  Dr.  Soto-meng,  stands  unri- 
valled ill  operations  for  cataract.  Another  is  a  spe- 
cialist in  eutropium.  Nor  is  this  all.  Dr.  Kerr  has 
prepared  and  published  in  Chinese  a  series  of  text 
books,  embracing  the  subjects  of  physiology,  hygi- 
ene, diagnosis,  chemistry,  materia  medica  and  sur- 
gery, thus  providing  a  basis  for  the  development 
of  medical  science  in  the  empire. 

The  expense  is  relatively  small.    The  necessary 
buildings  are  not  costly.    In  most  cases  even  these 
are  the  gifts  of  individual  philanthropists.    For  ex- 
Li  HUNG  CHANG.  ample,  the  fine  large  establishment  of  the  Metho- 

dists, which  I  visited  at  Nanking,  to  my  pleasant 
surprise,  I  found  was  the  gift  of  former  acquaintances  at  Oak  Park,  111.  This  is  known  as  "  The 
Philander  Smith  Memorial  Hospital."  The  family  have  established  similar  institutions  in  Japan, 
India  and  the  United  States.  Could  this  family  see  what  my  eyes  saw  in  and  about  that  place 
in  Nanking,  — the  thronged  chapel,  with  out-patients  in  waiting;  the  earnest  evangelist  dispens- 
ing the  Word ;  the  bright  assistants  and  nurses,  trophies  of  the  work,  now  serving  in  the  dis- 
pensary and  wards,  —  and  could  they  see  the  proofs  I  saw  of  the  commanding  influence  which 
the  beloved  Dr.  Robert  Beebe,  in  charge,  has  gained  over  the  city  as  a  whole,  they  would  rejoice 
deeply  in  their  investment.  We  saw  a  dozen  costly  banners,  the  gifts  of  mandarins  and  wealthy 
Chinese  citizens,  which  had  been  presented  in  token  of  their  appreciation  of  so  beneficent  an 
institution.  Similar  tokens  are  to  be  seen  in  all  Chinese  hospitals.  Several  viceroys,  includ- 
ing his  excellency  Li  Hung  Chang  and  his  lady,  are  regular  contributors  to  these  institutions  of 
mercy  and  good  will. 

Patients  usually  provide  their  own  beds  and  food ;  the  services  of  physicians,  nurses  and 
medicines  being  furnished  gratuitously.    At  the  most,  the  mission  boards  pay  only  the  salary  of 


Medical  Mission   Work  in  Cliina. 


95 


the  medical  missionary.  The  foreign  residents  in  all  the  cities  are  accustomed  to  subscribe  from 
$1,000  to  $2,000  annually  towards  the  expenses.  They  pay  fees  besides  for  personal  services,  as 
do  the  wealthy  Chinese ;  and,  moreover,  the  Chinese  people  often  subscribe  to  the  support  of  the 
hospital,  as  in  Svvatow  last  year,  about  $400  was  given. 

I^esultrs. 

In  many  cases  the  soul-saving  results  are  disappointing.  In  several  hospitals,  however,  we 
heard  mention  of  say  twenty  additions  a  year  to  the  churches.  It  is  a  principle  usually  to  receive 
none  for  baptism  at  the  hospital  itself.  Patients  are  required  first  to  go  away  to  their  homes,  and 
prove,  by  a  probation  of  consistent  living,  their  real  change.  The  testimony  of  missionaries  is 
general,  however,  that  in  extended  country  tours  of  visitation  of  out-stations,  it  is  a  common 
thing  to  receive  application  for  baptism  from  former  hospital  patients,  or  those  influenced  by 
them. 

Said  Dr.  John  to  the  writer:  "  So  highly  do  I  value  the  mission  hospital  that,  assuming  that 
you  have  a  thoroughly  trained  and  truly  consecrated  man  in  charge  of  it,  if  I  could  have  my  way, 
I  would  have  a  hospital  at  every  central  station  opened  in  China."  From  the  beginning  he  has 
had  a  good  hospital.    His  estimate  may  be  too  sanguine. 

The  writer  is  concerned  to  know  if  some  friend  of  the  Missionary  Union  will  not  volunteer  to 
put  in  a  plant,  costing  say  $10,000,  at  Sui-fu,  Western  China,  our  new  station,  where  Upcraft  and 
Warner  are  so  heroically  breaking  ground.  Such  a  provision  would  place  Dr.  Finch  in  a  position, 
in  a  new  district,  to  test  the  value  of  medical  work  as  authenticating  the  gospel. 


96 


///  Brightest  Asia. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Equatorial  flsia. 

Saigon,  Cochin  China,  December  7. 

THIS  is  an  important  city  of  the  French  Col- 
ony in  Cambodia.  All  steamers  of  the 
French  line  from  Japan  and  China  to  Mar- 
seilles stop  here  for  cargo  and  passengers. 
We  arrived  this  morning,  and  are  spending  the  day 
here  ;  not  at  all  because  it  is  Sunday,  for  evidently 
no  such  thing  as  a  Christian  Sunday  is  much  recog- 
nized in  these  parts,  even  if  sea-going  vessels  were 
able  or  disposed  to  observe  the  day. 

This  place  is  not  quite  on  the  sea-coast,  but  up 
the  Mekong  River,  perhaps  thirty  miles  from  the 
coast.  The  city,  as  to  its  buildings,  has  quite  a 
European  air,  though  very  unlike  the  more  English 
cities  of  Shanghai  or  Hongkong.  The  red  tile  roofs 
and  the  yellow  stucco,  which  one  sees  so  much  in 
France,  prevail  here.  The  population  is  most 
mongrel.  There  are  the  French  army  and  Custom 
House  officials  in  white  duck  suits  and  white  pith 
helmet  hats ;  there  are  numerous  Chinese ;  then 
there  are  the  native  Assamese,  with  occasional 
Siamese  and  Malays.  Many  wear  the  turban  and  a 
gay  sort  of  skirt,  with  sometimes  a  bright  brocaded 
wrap  about  the  shoulders.  The  French  officials 
and  merchants  use  many  of  the  blacker  fellows  for 
coachmen  and  servants  generally. 

All  day  long  they  have  been  lolling  about  the 
shaded  Bund  along  the  steamer  landing,  or  driv- 
ing up  the  pretty  French  carriages  of  their  masters, 
who  have  come  to  call  on  the  ships'  officers,  or 
join  in  the  general  interest  attending  the  arrival  of 


R(]Hatofial  Asia. 


97 


one  of  their  grand  ships.  Most  of  our  passengers,  1  am  sorry  to  say,  have  taken  the  cooler  part 
of  the  day  to  take  carriages  and  drive  al)out  to  see  the  lions  of  the  city  ;  mostly  zoological  gardens. 
We  can  hear  of  no  kind  of  a  Protestant  .service  anywhere.  There  is,  however,  a  large  Catholic 
cathedral  here,  and  Catholic  missions  are  pretty  wide-spread  in  the  province.  However  a 
miserable  makeshift  of  a  religion  anywhere,  it  is  e.specially  abominable  in  heathendom,  where  it 
is  not  only  tempted  to  compromise  with  heathenism  and  idolatry,  but  actually  does  it  in  the  most 
open  and  monstrous  manner. 

5i9<?apor(?.  December  14. 

If  not  exactly  on  the  equator,  we  are  only  a  degree  and  a  half  north  of  it.  We  reached  here 
by  the  French  Mail  December  10,  and  found  there  was  no  steamer  for  Rangoon  until  the  15th 
(to-morrow) .  There  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  wait,  although  at  first  I  greatly  regretted  losing 
so  much  time  that  must  be  taken  from  Burma.  Mr.  W.  concluded  to  take  a  steamer  for  Batavia, 
in  the  island  of  Java,  thus  crossing  the  equator,  and  seeing  something  of  that  wonderful  place. 
It  takes  three  days  to  go;  accordingly  he  will  not  reach  Burma  till  a  fortnight  after  I  do,  so  1 
remained  here  alone.    I  have,  however,  been  much  interes'.ed,  and  found  the  time  none  too  long. 


FAN  PALMS. 


98 


In  BrigJitcst  Asia. 


This  place  is  an  English  colony;  i.  e.,  the  Island  of  Singapore,  Penang  and  Malacca  together 
are  known  as  the  Straits  Settlement.  This  place  is  one  of  the  greatest  seaport  exchanges  or 
entrepots  in  the  world.  We  see  ships  and  people  from  all  nations,  —  from  England,  Germany, 
France,  Spain,  Portugal,  Australia,  Borneo,  Arabia,  India,  China,  Japan,  America,  etc.,  —  till 

one  is  bewildered  in  making 
them  out.  The  street  scenes, 
with  people  in  all  sorts  of 
Eastern  costumes,  —  Malaysian, 
Mohammedan,  Bengali,  Kling, 
Chinese,  Tamil,  etc.,  —  are 
exceedingly  picturesque  and 
amusing.  They  are  all  tremen- 
dous traders ;  they  dog  your 
steps,  haunt  the  verandas  of 
your  hotel,  and  pester  you  in 
your  rooms,  to  buy  jewelry, 
canes,  shoes,  white  duck  suits, 
silk  fabrics,  curios  of  every  sort, 
or  to  ride  in  their  queer  little 
])ony  carriages,  till  you  have  to 
>hake  them  off  rather  rudely  at 
times  to  get  rid  of  them. 
VICTORIA  REGIA.  Yesterday  a  half-dozen  of  them 

beset  me  from  the  street,  push- 
ing their  goods  at  me  through  the  railing  of  the  hotel  veranda,  where  I  sat  drinking  in  the  lovely 
tropical  scenery  and  sniffing  the  sea  breeze,  which,  though  this  is  only  a  degree  and  a  half  from 
the  equator,  renders  the  climate  here  always  the  sarne  and  not  very  hot.  The  hotel  clerk  took 
pity  on  me,  and  rushed  out  of  the  office  with  a  big  squirt-gun  filled  with  water,  and  gave  the 
street  venders  a  shower  bath,  much  to  my  relief  and  their  amusement.  But  it  scattered  them, 
and  that  sufficed. 

/1m<^ric;a9  /T\el:l?odist  /T\issi09. 

I  have  found  out  some  American  Methodist  Episcopal  missionaries  here,  who  have  also  a 
school  of  400  Chinese  boys  (in  English),  and  they  have  made  me  much  at  home,  having  me 
attend  their  semi-annual  prize  giving  in  the  Town  Hall,  day  before  yesterday,  at  which  the 
Governor  presided,  and  also  to  dinner  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Munson,  the  principal,  yesterday. 
There  are  several  American  teachers,  and  one  from  Prince  Edward  Island,  a  nephew  of  my 
friend  Mr.  D.  of  Charlottetown. 

There  are  many  very  wealthy  Chinese  here,  and  some  of  them  liberally  favor  the  missions,  and 
place  their  sons  in  the  school.    They  raised  $6,000,  half  the  price  of  the  school  grounds,  and 


Jiijiialorial  Asia. 


99 


presented  it  to  the  mission  when  they  began,  and  they  will  do  much  more  in  the  future.  Many  of 
them  are  millionnaires.  Some  of  them  have  magnificent  houses  in  European  style,  with  spacious 
gardens  and  grounds,  which  all  foreigners  may  inspect.  1  go  to-morrow  to  .see  one  of  them. 
Chinamen  nowhere  in  the  world  are  so  prosperous  or  so  liberal-minded  as  here.  Much  is  due  to 
the  just  and  wisely  administered  colonial  government,  under  which  they  like  to  live,  and  where 
they  make  so  much  money  in  trade.  There  are  over  100,000  Chinese  on  this  small  island,  and 
millions  more  of  them  in  the  whole  Malaysian  Archipelago. 

The  hope  of  ultimately  liberalizing  and  perhaps  more  rapidly  Christianizing  China  proper  is 
very  large  in  this  quarter,  if  Christian  missions  are  worked  as  they  ought  to  be  hereabouts. 


/r\ol7arr\m<^dar7i5m. 

These  Malays,  a  people  much  blacker  than  other  Asiatics  I  liave  seen,  number  in  the  whole 
archipelago  40,000,000,  and  they  are  (here,  at  least)  all  Mohammedans.  Their  mc'^ques  begin 
to  appear.  Of  course  in  China  there  are  many  Mohammedans,  though  not  near  the  coast,  where 
I  have  been.  Arriving  here,  the  traveller  realizes  that  a  transition  begins.  And  now  all  across 
Asia,  westward  from  Singapore  to 
Morocco,  the  Arab  Mussulman  will 
everywhere  be  seen.  They  are  the 
most  difficult  of  all  non-Christian 
people  to  reach.  There  is  scarcely 
a  Malay  Christian  in  Singapore. 
The  London  Missionary  Society, 
which  began  a  work  among  them 
here  many  years  ago,  gave  it  up 
through  discouragement.  Every- 
body among  Mohammedans, 
whether  rich  or  poor,  counts  it  the 
most  important  thing  in  the  world 
to  go  to  Mecca. 

There  is  one  man  here  who  is 
very  rich.  There  are  sixty  acres  in 
his  grounds.  He  has  his  palace 
furnished  in  the  costliest  way  imagi- 
nable. It  is  a  museum  of  curios 
and  rare  treasures.  He  has  plate 
of  solid  gold,  many  of  the  vessels 
being  heavier  than  one  could  lift.  moham.medax  mosque. 

Being  apolygamist  (as  they  all  are), 

he  has  also  houses  and  families  in  half  a  dozen  countries,  including  India,  Arabia  and  Turkey. 
On  the  day  after  Christmas  he  is  to  start  from  here  on  another  pilgrimage  to  Mecca.    He  is  to 


ItX) 


Jii  IhightiSt  Asia. 


charter  a  German  Lloyd  steamer,  and  take  130  friends  with  him.  What  do  you  think  of  that 
lor  church  going?  If  a  man  will  do  such  tilings  lor  a  religion  of  superstition  and  sensuality, 
what  should  we  not  do  for  Christ's  sake? 

Multitudes  of  these  people  have  also  heard  much  of  the  gospel,  so  that  they  cannot  plead 
ignorance;  but  they  hate  the  gospel,  the  Bible,  the  very  Christian  name,  and  everything  that 

rebukes  their  follies  and  sins.  I 
have  tried  to  converse  with  several 
.Mohammedans,  but  their  aversion 
to  Christianity  is  something  incred- 
ible to  one  who  has  not  tested  it. 
They  say,  "  The  Koran  is  a  very 
good  book,  and  Alohammed  is  the 
great  prophet.''  The  time  will 
surely  come  when  this  power  will 
be  overthrown.  Nothing  but  the 
spirit  and  power  of  God,  however, 
is  equal  to  it.  At  present  the 
Chinese  are  much  more  easily 
reached  than  the  Mohammedans. 

To-morrow  I  expect  to  be  on 
my  way  by  the  British  India  steam- 
ship "  Puteali  "  to  Rangoon,  a  five 
days'  sail.  Mr.  Munson  is  going 
with  me,  and  on  to  Calcutta,  taking 
along  one  of  his  Chinese  boys. 
The  boy's  father  is  wealthy,  and  is 
sending  him  out  to  see  a  little  of 
the  world. 

One  of  these  eleven-year-old 
lads  in  the  school  lately  inherited 
;J6o,ooo.  For  all  that,  he  still  wears 
a  pig-tail  and  yellow  breeches  as 
big  as  flour  sacks.  When  he 
marched  up  to  make  his  speech  in 
behalf  of  the  school  to  the  governor 
at  the  prize  giving,  the  other  day, 
I  noiiced,  however,  that  he  had  on  a  new  unblacked  pair  of  English  shoes,  which  resounded 
through  the  hall  like  strokes  of  Thor's  hammer,  as  he  proudly  walked.  The  speech,  however, 
■was  in  capital  English,  and  showed  decided  talents.  The  Chinaman  moves  as  well  as  other 
celestial  bodies,  especially  in  Singapore. 

This  morning  I  have  promised  to  go  with  Air.  Kinsett,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Mission, 


SINEN,  THE  SU.M.\TR.\N  TIGER  KILLER. 


Equatorial  Asia.  loi 

to  attend  liis  liible  class  of  Cliinese  yoiiii^r  men  and  talk  to  them  a  little.  There  is  a  line  young 
Siamese  liaron,  also  a  Christian,  among  them.    I  expect  a  good  time. 


A  I'LAXTATK  )N'. 


How  I  wish  I  could  toss  you  and  R.  a  bunch  of  bananas  or  mangos,  or  a  lot  of  pineapples! 
They  grow  everywhere  here.    Bananas  are  worth  only  a  cent  a  dozen.    Wouldn't  you  feast  on 


1(32 


In  SrigJitcst  Asia. 


tliein  if  thcv  were  only  that  price  at  home?  In  a  few  days  it  will  be  Christmas.  How  different 
this  tropical  December  weather  from  that  in  your  frozen  North  I  Well,  I  send  you  all  wishes  for 
the  merriest  sort  of  a  time. 


S.  S.  "  Puteali,"  Penanc.  Harbor,  December  17. 

This  morning  found  us  in  the  harbor  at  Penang,  396  miles  up  the  Straits  of  Malacca,  north  of 
Singapore.    The  place  is  an  English  settlement  on  a  mountainous  island,  the  island  being  only 

about  fifteen  miles  long  by  twelve  wide.  The  city  may  number 
perhaps  60,000  people,  a  couple  of  thousand  being  European. 
The  balance  are  native  Malays,  Klings  or  Madras  immigrants- — 
who  have  come  into  the  whole  peninsula  by  thousands  —  and 
Chinese,  the  latter  being,  as  usual,  the  most  thrifty,  pushing  and 
wealthy  of  all.  Many  of  these  latter  live  like  princes  on  fine  estates. 
We  went  ashore  for  several  hours,  and  took  a  drive  five  miles  out 
to  the  waterfall,  which  also  forms  a  small  but  lofty  cascade 
running  some  hundreds  of  feet  down  the  mountain-side.  The 
drive  was  through  the  most  thorough  tropical  scenery,  embracing 
every  variety  of  tree,  shrub  and  foliage.  The  cocoanut  palm  espe- 
cially abounds.  There  are  miles  of  these  orchards  cultivated  by 
planters,  and  looking  up  you  can  see  great  clusters  of  the  ripening 
fruit  hanging  among  the  fronds.  The  commissioner  of  the  public 
garden  told  us  there  were  4,000,000  fruit-bearing  palms  on  the 
island  alone  ;  and  across  the  strait  in  Wellesley  Province,  opposite, 
there  are  vast  estates,  producing  not  only  cocoanuts,  but  sugar-cane,  nutmegs,  coffee,  cloves, 
and  other  spices  without  limit.  Pineapples,  bananas,  pomelos,  mangos,  mangosteens,  etc., 
abound. 

Mr.  Munson  took  me  with  him  to  call  on  the  Bible  Society  colporter,  Mr.  Castells,  a  Spanish 
Methodist  Episcopal  brother ;  and  who  again  should  I  find  but  another  of  Dr.  Guinness'  students, 
a  friend  of  Upcraffs,  and  his  young  wife,  just  out  to  become  married  to  him  only  two  months 
ago,  also  a  student  for  three  years  in  Doric  Lodge,  and  knowing  well  many  of  our  English  friends. 
They  seemed  pleased  to  see  me,  having  read  of  me  in  Regions  Beyond.  Castells  spoke  partic- 
ularly of  his  appreciation  of  my  article  on  "Methods  in  Theological  Education."  He  came  out 
on  the  same  steamer  as  far  as  Singapore  with  Miss  Guinness.  He  then  went  for  a  while  to  the 
Philippine  Islands.  That  being  a  Spanish  colony  and  intensely  Roman  Catholic,  he  was  arrested, 
imprisoned,  and  at  last  wholly  driven  out,  and  so  was  transferred  to  Penang.  His  companion, 
an  old  Spanish  ex-priest,  died  in  the  islands,  it  is  supposed  from  some  foul  play.  Castells  is  a 
choice  fellow,  and  doing  a  good  work  in  Penang. 


A  JAVAX  BOY. 


H(]ualoric(l  Asia. 


103 


Nearin'^  Burma. 

'  JJccembcr  19. 

To-Q«y  we  are  lazily  steaming  along  the  Burman  coast.  We  are  not  far  from  the  latitude  in 
which  Jiiason  was  buried.  We  must  now  be  about  opposite  Tavoy.  The  sea  is  like  a  mill  pond 
for  smoothness.  All  the  morning  we  have  been  watching  the  flying  fish,  and  more  especially  a 
vast  shoal  of  some  sort  of  larger  fish,  a  mile  away  to  our  westward,  which,  from  their  antics,  kept 
the  sea  in  a  boil  along  a  stretch  nearly  ten  miles  in  length.  It  was  tremendous.  (This  is  my 
biggest  flsh  story  yet.) 

I  contess  to  some  impatience  to  get  to  Burma.  I  am  much  later  than  I  hoped  to  be.  Then 
the  interest  of  the  place  is  great,  and  the  sentiment  clustering  about  my  thoughts  of  the  historic 
spots  is  here  at  the  maximum.  We  are  aboard  of  a  poor  sort  of  a  steamer  of  the  British  India 
Line.  Tlie  cooking  is  abominable,  especially  in  the  second  class,  which  I  am  taking  on  this  trip 
to  Calcutta,  as  I  save 
thereby  ^30  to  the 
Union.  Besides,  I 
think  1  ought  to  test 
the  matter  for  myself, 
and  sec  whether  mis- 
sionaries should  really 
be  encouraged  to  do 
this  thing  to  save 
expense.  My  experi- 
ence thus  far  is  not 
reassuring  in  that 
direction,  for  which 
Messrs.  Carpenter, 
Hudson  Taylor  and 
others  plead.  But  1 
am  resolved  to  be 
fortified  on  the  point ; 
at  least,  from  actual 
experience  of  my  own, 
when  it  is  not  too  try- 
ing for  health.  When 
the  seas  are  smooth, 
it  is  tolerable.  The 
company  is  the  most 
trying  at  times.  At 
our  table  sit  with  us  a 
German  with  a  Burman  ^ 

PAGODA.S  AT  MAULMEIX. 


Xn  Brightest  Asia. 


wife,  a 
natives 
forward 


Kurasian,  four  Chinese,  three  .Vmericans,  and  a  Scotchman.  Our  cooks  and  waiters  are 
of  India,  exceedingly  untidy, — Mohammedans,  —  and  most  of  our  passengers  in  the 
part  of  the  ship,  as  well  as  all  the  crew,  are  likewise  Mohammedans.    Several  of  them 

have  copies  of  the  Koran  in  the 
Arabic,  and  frequently  through  the 
day  they  read  aloud  as  orientals 
always  read,  in  a  monotonous  and 
ear-distressing  sing-song  way.  They 
are  a  dirty  lot,  and  clad  in  old  rags  of 
garments,  and  meagre  at  that.  Such 
are  Asia,  however,  and  the  fruits  of 
heathenism. 


Ur^di^r  tl^e  Soutl?err>  <?ross. 

Sunday  Morning,  December  21. 
At  3  o'clock  this  morning  we  were 
awakened  by  the  repeated  monotonous 
call  of  the  sailors  outside,  calling  out 
their  soundings  in  some  barbarian 
tongue,  "  Panch  bam,  Panch  ba-a-a- 
a-m,  Achay  Panch  ba-a-a-m."  That 
is  "Five  fathoms,  five  fathoms,  five 
fathoms  lacking  one  cubit,"  etc.,  indi- 
cating that  we  were  approaching  the 
Burman  coast.  We  rose  and  took  a 
look  outside,  which  only  revealed  two 
distant  coast  lights,  one  being  the 
light-ship.  The  silent  stars  were 
gleaming  with  wondrous  brilliancy; 
except  that  at  this  hour  the  great 
Dipper,  which  in  the  early  part  of  the  night  cannot  be  seen  at  all,  it  being  below  the  horizon,  was 
high  towards  the  zenith,  and  turned  bottom  side  up,  as  if  too  much  disturbed  to  retam  its 
contents.  Besides  this,  many  new  constellations  to  the  southward  could  be  traced,  including 
"The  Southern  Cross."  We  took  in  the  silent,  glittering  majesty  for  a  litde,  and  retired  to  our 
bunk  for  another  nap. 

Again  at  6  o'clock  we  were  roused  by  the  soundings  and  the  striking  of  the  signal  bells  to  the 
engineer  to  stop  the  ship.  Looking  out  of  our  port  to  the  eastward,  the  whole  sky  was  aglow  with 
the  reddest  dawn.  We  dressed  and  went  on  deck.  We  were  lying  close  to  "  the  pilot-brig," 
which  is  anchored  in  the  roads  outside  the  Rangoon  River  some  twenty  miles.  A  boat  was  being 
lowered  from  the  brig,  pulled  by  a  half-dozen  East  Indian  sailors,  who  brought  a  pilot  to  our  ship's 


PAGODA,  RAXGOOX. 


Jiquatorial  Asia. 


side.  He  was  an  old  man,  seemingly  seventy  years  of  age,  a  thorough  Englishman.  He  clam- 
bered up  the  ship's  side  on  the  rope  ladder  very  feebly,  as  though  he  were  about  making  port  for 
the  last  time.  Casting  our  eyes  now  to  the  northwest,  we  caught  our  first  glimpse  of  the  lUirman 
coast, — a  low,  flat  sand-bar  line,  stretching  along  the  horizon  for  several  miles,  with  a  row  of 
rather  stately  trees,  dwindling  on  the  left  to  something  smaller,  like  low  palms  or  brakes. 

It  was  very  tame  and  monotonous;  as  we  expected,  indeed,  for  south  Burma  is  all  flat  and 
swampy.    And  yet  as  we  sat  there  on  deck  in  the  cool  morning  breeze,  watching  the  scene  —  whit  h 


PAGODA. 


the  sun,  just  rising  fiery  and  glowing  out  of  the  sea,  heightened  to  brilliancy  and  warmth,  —  thinking 
of  what  scenes  have  been  enacted  in  the  land  lying  beyond  that  coast  line,  and  reflecting  on  what 
inspirations  toward  the  furthering  of  Christ's  kingdom  in  the  earth  have  gone  out  from  that  little 
piece  of  oriental  territory,  the  whole  region  thrilled  with  interest.  I  suppose  that  from  no  place 
in  the  wide  world,  except  Palestine,  have  so  many  Christian  inspirations  been  kindled  as  from  the 
shores  of  Burma.  Probably  more  young  Christians  have  first  or  last  become  sensible  of  divine 
promptings  to  live  unselfishly  for  human  redemption  on  account  of  influence  radiating  from  this 
new  Holy  Land  than  from  any  other  profane  country.    Certainly  this  is  so  as  regards  the  Baptist 


too 


/;/  />r/o/itcst  Asia. 


family,  and  I  think  as  regards  the  Christian  world  at  large.  The  thought  that,  God  willing,  in 
four  short  hours,  I  shall  look  upon  Rangoon  itself  in  the  Sabbath  light  (for  this  is  the  Lord's  day 
morning),  and  greet  face  to  face  on  the  spot  some  even  of  the  veterans  and  associates  of  the 
Judsons,  such  as  Mrs.  Bennett,  the  Braytons  and  Mrs.  Stevens,  to  say  nothing  of  other  heroes  of 
a  younger  generation,  fills  me  with  awe  and  gratitude.  I  am  to  be  permitted,  if  only  for  a  little,  to 
identify  my  person,  my  words,  my  prayers,  my  personal  testimony,  and  my  whole  heart  and  life 
with  the  profound  verities  of  this  world-saving,  heathen-dethroning  movement  of  the  ages.  The 
moment  when  my  feet  shall  press  Burma's  soil  will  be  a  lofty,  thrilling  and  grateful  moment  to 
me.  To  engage  this  very  day,  as  I  hope  to  do,  in  the  solemn  services  of  God's  house  with  native 
Karen  and  Burman  believers  in  yonder  city,  beneath  the  very  shadow  of  the  departing  memorials 
of  heathenism,  will  not  that  be  a  feast  to  the  soul  of  no  common  sort?  My  heart  leaps  in  anticipa- 
tion of  the  high  festival ! 

We  are  now  ascending  the  Rangoon  River.  In  the  distance,  six  or  eight  miles  away,  we 
catch  a  glimpse  of  the  highest  and  most  prominent  object  in  the  flat  landscape  ;  viz.,  the  gilded 
pinnacle,  with  its  h'tee,  which  crowns  the  Shwey  Dagon  Pagoda,  emblem  everywhere  of  heathen- 
ism, relic,  doubtless,  of  the  old  Babel  building,  ever  rearing  itself  in  our  sin-blighted  world, 
and  ever  also,  thank  God,  falling  into  ruins. 


On  Ihtrnian  Soil. 


CHArT]:R  XIV. 

Ovj  Bdjrmar^  Soil. 

9  I'.M. 

VE  landed  at  about  10.30  a..m.    I  was  met  by  Mr.  Miller  of  the  Press,  and  driven  to  the 
home  of  Dr.  Rose  at  Kemendine,  a  suburb  of  Rangoon,  where  I  was  most  cordially 
received  by  the  Roses  and  dear  old  Father  Brayton,  eighty-two  years  of  age.  Grandma 
Brayton,  alas  !  to  my  deep  disappointment,  entered  into  rest  last  week,  and  was  buried 
on   Wednesday.     She  was  a  rare  and  saintly  missionary,  and  passed  away  triumphantly. 
Thus  sleeps  in  Burma's  soil  the  dust  of  another  of  the  martyr  throng  devoted  to  Burma's 
redemption. 

After  tiffin  I  went  with  Father  Brayton,  yet  hale  and  vigorous  after  his  fifty-three  years  of  Bur- 
man  toil,  to  the  communion  service  for  a  group  of  Pwo  Karen  disciples  in  a  chapel  near  by.  It  was 
touching  to  see  and  hear  the  ripe  old  patriarch,  smiling  and  sunny  through  his  tears,  and  despite 
his  loneliness  from  his  so  recent  bereavement,  discoursing  to  the  bright-faced  company  of  natives, 
who  sympathize  with  him  so  deeply,  on  "Jesus  as  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life."  I  partook  of 
my  first  communion  feast  with  these  redeemed  Karens.  At  the  close,  all  gathered  to  shake  hands 
with  me.  This  afternoon  Than  Byah,  a  former  student  in  America,  came  to  call  on  me.  He 
was  so  pleased  to  see  me  after  twenty-three  years.  He  and  Brother  S.  spent  a  fortnight  with  me 
on  the  old  Illinois  farm  during  one  of  my  college  vacations.  This  evening  I  went  to  the  Rangoon 
English  church,  to  which  Brother  Whitman  has  just  come  to  be  pastor,  and  was  thrust  in  to  speak. 
1  found  a  houseful.  It  seemed  like  America,  with  the  fine  large  church,  the  nice  looking 
people,  —  English,  American  and  Eurasian,  with  occasional  Karens,  —  the  organ,  chorus  choir 
and  all.  I  did  not  preach,  but  spoke  familiarly  of  my  errand,  my  observations  in  Japan  and 
China,  my  pleasure  at  being  in  Burma,  and  the  conditions  of  increased  power  all  along  the  line. 
It  is  difficult  to  realize  that  I  am  really  in  this  historic  land.  To-night  I  met  young  Professor 
Gilmore,  at  whose  examination  in  Boston  I  was  present  in  July.  He  comes  from  the  West,  and  I 
from  the  East,  having  between  us  belted  the  globe. 

December  25. 

In  Rangoon  I  am  the  guest  chiefly  of  Dr.  Rose,  our  capable  and  senior  male  missionary  to 
the  Burmans.  His  assiduous  attentions,  facilitating  my  various  excursions  through  the  country, 
lay  me  under  much  obligation.  A  most  delightful  reception,  in  behalf  of  all  the  missionaries, 
planned  by  the  Roses,  was  given  me  at  their  house  last  evening.  I  was  by  no  means  a  stranger 
there  ;  most  of  those  present  were  old  friends.    To-day  I  proceeded  to  Maulmein. 


On  Jiiirmaii  Soil. 


l/isit  to  /T\aulmeir7. 

I  counted  myself  favored  on  this  trip  in  having  as  my  companion  one  of  the  real  veterans  in 
Burma,  viz.,  Father  Brayton.  The  dear  man  had  only  the  previous  Wednesday  laid  away  all 
that  was  mortal  of  his  beloved  wife  and  companion  in  labors  among  the  heathen  for  fifty-three 
years.  Trying  had  been  the  ordeal,  but  God's  grace  had  not  failed.  Full  of  praises  to  the  good- 
ness of  the  hand  which  so  long  had  led  him,  out  of  a  full  and  fresh  memory  of  the  beginnings  of 
our  work  in  this  land,  he  vividly  retraced  for  me  the  stages  of  its  progress,  and  tenderly  painted 
the  personages  which  had  prominently  figured  in  it. 

We  took  passage  in  the  day  steamer  from  Rangoon,  which  makes  the  run  in  about  ten  hours. 
These  sped  all  too  quickly,  occupied,  as  they  were,  with  reminiscences  of  the  arrival  on  these 
shores  of  the  fathers  in  the  cause. 

Our  Glasgow-built  steamer,  coursing  over  the  gulf  of  Martaban  that  day,  seemed  to  live  again 
with  the  presence  of  the  devoted  dead,  as  this  one  of  the  few  contemporaries  of  Judson  yet  living 
in  Burma,  brought  up  before  us  the  scenes  which  he  had  shared  with  Judson  in  village,  zayat  and 
jungle. 

About  2  P.M.  the  long,  low  shore  line  of  the  Amherst  district  began  to  appear  away  to 
the  eastward  on  our  right.  On  yonder  shore,  just  hard  by  the  pagoda  dimly  seen  rising  from  the 
rocks,  rest  the  ashes  of  Ann  Hasseltine  Judson.  We  are  disappointed  not  to  be  able  to  land ; 
but  the  steamers  do  not  now  call  here,  so  we  must  go  on  up  the  broad  Salwen  River  twenty-five 
miles  farther  to  Maulmein,  and  trust  to  some  later  opportunity  to  visit  the  hallowed  spot. 

On  we  steam  ;  the  mountains  which  rise  loftily  from  behind  and  about  Maulmein  now  begin  to 
loom  up  to  the  north  and  westward ;  now  great  rice  and  lumber  mills  appear,  with  huge  elephants 
handling  teak  logs  and  piling  lumber  in  the  yards  along  the  river  banks.  The  majestic  cocoa 
palms  adorn  the  slopes.  Mammoth  pagodas  —  some  gray  or  green  with  age,  some  flashing 
golden  and  regal  in  the  westering  sunlight  —  crown  all  the  heights. 

On  graceful  undulating  hillsides  and  terraces,  amid  gardens  luxuriant  with  the  tropical  shrubs 
and  foliage  of  this  ever-green  land,  stand  monasteries,  mosques,  government  buildings,  and 
houses  —  European  and  Burman,  in  endless  variety.  But  amid  and  within  the  fascinating  city,  by 
no  means  large  or  populous,  I  discern  what  to  me  is  of  far  more  interest  than  them  all ;  viz.,  the 
old  Judson  compound  —  the  cradle  of  American  Baptist  missions,  the  spot  on  which  the  Burman 
Bible  was  translated  and  printed,  and  whence  were  written  those  letters,  recording  trials,  disci- 
plines and  high  ideals  for  the  heathen,  which  have  thrilled  the  church  with  a  power  scarcely  less 
than  that  of  the  epistles  of  St.  Paul.  We  are  to  visit  that  spot.  Our  blood  leaps  high  with  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  hour.    Maulmein  is  before  us,  beautiful,  picturesque,  historic  and  hallowed. 

Our  vessel  draws  up  to  her  moorings.  The  docks  are  crowded  with  such  a  motley  group  of 
living  creatures, —  red-skirted  Burmans,  white-turbaned  Tamils,  Telugus  and  Klings  from  India, 
the  ever-pushing,  migrating,  pig-tailed  Chinaman,  ths  shy,  wild  Shan,  the  Talign,  the  Arab  and 
the  Sikh.  Pressing  through  the  clamorous  crowd,  we  now  discern  the  figures  of  our  two  missiona- 
ries, Brethren  Stevens  and  Armstrong,  coming  to  take  us  off. 


I  lO 


Jn  Brightest  Asia. 


We  are  no  sooner  seated  in  the  gharry  (or  pony  cab)  wliich  is  to  drive  us  to  Hrotlier  Stevens' 
house,  than  an  old  and  wrinkled  Burman  woman  draws  near,  and  is  introduced  by  Brother 
Stevens  as  one  of  the  few  living  believers  who  were  baptized  by  Dr.  Judson.  With  an  eagerness 
of  interest  for  which  we  were  unprepared,  she  thrust  her  withered  hand  through  the  gharry 
window ;  her  moistened  eye-lashes  told  of  the  feeling  that  ran  deeply  in  her  heart.    She  could 


DR.  JUDSOX'S  CHAPEL. 


speak  not  a  word  of  English,  but  we  understood  her.  The  chasm  between  foreign  and  home, 
between  past  and  present,  was  that  moment  obliterated.  We  were  face  to  f-ice,  hand  in  hand, 
eye  to  eye,  and  heart  to  heart,  America  and  Burma,  Judson's  time  and  ours,  in  hand-clasp,  in 
heart-union  before  the  Lord.  The  Missionary  Union  in  its  representative  was  greeting  one  of  its 
most  distantly  won  trophies  to  the  praise  of  our  Lord's  wondrous  grace,  on  shores  consecrated 
forevermore  by  the  life  and  death  of  its  first  missionary. 


Oh  Jiiiniian  Soil. 


1 1  I 


We  had  not  been  a  half-hour  in  Mauhnein  wlien,  with  Brother  Stevens  for  guide,  we  had  been 
shown  over  the  old  Judson  and  the  Bennett  compounds,  where  stands  what  is  left  (now  enlarged 
into  a  building  for  a  Burman  boys'  school)  of  the  old  lirst  mission  press,  the  Stevens  comijound, 
the  Buardman  place,  and  the  premises  of  both  the  Burman  and  the  English-speaking,  semi- 
Eurasian  church.  Where  the  original  Judson  house  once  was,  there  is  now  only  the  green  sward, 
with  four  fran<4ipanni  trees  standing  one  at  each  corner  of  the  place.  One  at  least  of  these  trees 
was  planted  by  Judson's  own  hand.    The  fragrant  blossoms  loaded  the  early  evening  air  with 


P\V<J  KAREN  SCHOOL. 


their  delicate  perfume  While  we  stood  and  mused,  a  group  of  our  bright  school  boys  crossed 
the  green  and  politely  saluted  us.  Another  group  of  children  sat  shyly  but  smilingly  upon  the 
curbstones  about  the  old  historic  well  at  the  corner  of  the  Bennett  house.  Above  the  well  rose 
the  spreading  branches  of  a  majestic  Amlierstia  tree,  like  another  burning  bush,  with  its  long, 
scarlet,  tasselly  blossoms ;  while  at  the  end  of  the  long,  narrow  vista,  which  stretched  down  to  the 
broad  Salwen  that  flows  at  the  foot  of  the  garden,  the  western  sky  grew  tender  with  evening 
blushes.  The  forms  of  stately  palms  which  rose  from  the  river  banks  pencilled  their  shadowy 
forms  on  the  deep  rich  background  of  after-glow  ;  and  with  our  twilight  musings,  mingled  with 
prayer  for  Burma's  dark  millions,  the  full  realization  was  on  us  of  the  vast  responsibility  we 


I  I  2 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


inherit  to  carry  on  towards  completion  the  work  which  the  lofty  spirits  that  have  labored  here 
inaugurated.    May  their  Clod  and  His  grace  which  proved  sullicient  for  them  be  ours  also. 

In  the  evening  of  the  day  vk'e  first  arrived  at  Maulmein,  all  our  missionaries  laboring  there  —  a 
dozen  strong  —  gave  us  a  most  cordial  reception  at  the  mission-house  occupied  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bulkley,  of  the  Pwo  Karen  Mission.  Mr.  Bulkley  himself  was  out  on  a  jungle  tour  of  wide 
exploration  among  other  Karen  districts  away  eastward  in  Siam.  The  journey  is  made  on 
elephants,  and  consumes  weeks  of  travel. 

The  ladies  in  charge  of  the  several  schools  in  Maulmein —  Burman,  Karen  and  Eurasian  — we 
found  working  with  high  enthusiasm,  with  difficulties  by  no  means  small. 

It  was  a  comfort  to  find  that  here  Baptist  work  had  become  so  prosperous  as  to  require  and 
necessitate  establishments  so  large  and  commanding  in  influence  as  these. 


During  the  evening,  arrangements  had  been  perfected  whereby,  by  spending  the  night  aboard 
a  native  boat,  we  could  be  rowed  by  four  oarsmen  to  Amherst,  twenty-five  miles  distant,  and  visit 
the  grave  of  Mrs.  Judson.  Brother  Stevens  and  I  went  aboard  at  1 1  o'clock,  and  at  7  o'clock  the 
next  morning  we  were  awakened  by  the  creak  of  the  long  sweeps  of  the  rowers  which  drew  us  nigh 
to  the  rocky  strand.  Again  we  found  a  welcome  awaiting  us.  A  thoughtful  Burman  disciple  at 
Maulmein  had  telegraphed  some  of  the  believers  at  Amherst ;  and  standing  on  the  rocks  at  the 
landing,  with  beaming  faces  underneath  their  yellow  tuibans,  they  saluted  us  as  we  approached. 
They  had  breakfast  prepared  for  us  at  the  old  Haswell  compound, —  still  occupied  by  Miss  Susie 
Haswell, —  and  Mah-Theh-Oo  waited  to  serve  us.  We  needed  no  guide  to  find  our  way  to  the 
grave  of  Mrs.  Judson.  Scanning  the  rather  low-lying  swarded  coast,  which  here  rises  only 
  about  thirty  feet  above  the  sea,  almost  the  first  object 


that  arrested  our  eyes  was  a  gray,  once  painted  fence 
about  a  little  clump  of  shrubbery  situated  only  twenty- 
five  feet  from  the  sea,  and  standing  quite  alone  on 
a  clearing  of  several  acres.  No  Hopia  tree  now  stands 
above  the  place,  although  about  200  feet  to  the  south- 
ward a  noble  specimen  rises  solitary  and  symmetrical 
against  the  sky.  We  made  our  way  first  to  the  grave 
itself,  attended  by  a  group  of  a  half-dozen  Burman 
sympathizers.  Other  groups  of  heathen  soon  gathered, 
and  stood  apart  with  wondering  queries  on  their  dark 
faces. 


GRAVE  OF  MRS.  JUDSON.  Within  the  little  enclosure  a  dense  growth  of  the 

shrub  Lantana,  now  in  blossom  and  very  fragrant, 
completely  covers  the  grave  in  which  sleep  the  ashes  of  Mrs.  Judson  and  her  little  Maria. 
At  the  head  and  foot  of  the  grave,  about  which  some  brick-work  is  discernible  underneath  the 


Oil  ih(riiiaii  Soil. 


"3 


shmbbery,  there  are  two  white  niarbk;  slabs.  On  the  headstone,  beginning  here  and  there 
to  chip  from  exposure,  we  trace  the  inscrijJtion  :  — 

'I'o  the  nn-iiiiiry  of 
Ann  H.  JrusON, 
wife  of 

Ailimirnni  Judson,  Missiuiiary 
of  the 

Baptist  (ieiicral  Convention  in  the  United  States  to  the 
lJurman  Empire. 
.She  was  born  at  Bradford, 
in  the  State  of 
Massachusetts,  North  America, 
Dec.  22,  1789. 
She  arrived  w  ith  lier  husband  at  Rangoon  in  Ti-i'y>  1813, 
and  there  commenced  those  Missionary  Toils, 
which  she  sustained  with  such  Christian  fortitude,  decision 
and  perseverance  amid  scenes  of  civil  commotion 
and  personal  affliction,  as  won  for  her 
universal  respect  and  affection. 
She  died  at  Amherst 
Oct.  24,  1826. 

With  no  common  interest  did  we  here  stand  uncovered  and  read  these  words.  In  fellowship 
with  the  sufferings,  both  of  the  heroine  who  here  sleeps  and  of  the  devoted  husband  who,  return- 
ing from  Ava,  amid  such  disappointment,  found  his  beloved  wife,  with  her  babe,  buried  from  his 
sight  forever,  we  lifted  up  voices  of  thanksgiving  for  such  fortitude,  and  of  prayer  for  the  perpetu- 
ation of  the  sanctifying  influence  of  such  martyrs  to  world-wide  evangelization.  We  plucked  a 
few  sprays  from  the  shrubs  which  here  ever  spring  green  and  fragrant,  and  turned  away  girded 
with  fresh  devotion  to  this  holy  cause.* 

The  town  of  Amherst  is  a  mere  village  of  no  commercial  importance  at  all.  We  have  here  a 
little  church.  Among  the  members  who  gathered  at  the  old  Haswell  house  to  greet  us  while  we 
breakfasted,  preparatory  to  our  immediate  return  to  Maulmein,  was  another  old  believer,  Koo 
Lake  by  name,  eighty-two  years  of  age,  baptized  by  Dr.  Judson.  Our  kind  hostess  was  Ma-Theh- 
Oo,  who  spent  three  years  in  America  with  Miss  Haswell,  now  the  wife  of  a  worthy  teacher  in 
the  old  school  at  Amherst. 

Returning  early  to  Maulmein,  we  made  rapid  survey  of  all  features  and  departments  of  our 
work.    We  met  in  the  evening  the  members  of  the  Burman  church,  about  200  strong ;  attended 

*  Since  my  visit  to  Amherst,  on  account  of  the  encroachment  of  the  sea,  the  grave  has  been  removed 
to  a  spot  many  yards  distant  from  the  shore,  and  by  the  generosity  of  the  Woman's  Foreign  Mission 
Society  of  Boston  a  neat  iron  fence  has  been  erected  around  the  new  grave.  These  arrangements  were 
carried  out  under  the  superintendence  of  Rev.  W.  F.  Armstrong  of  Maulmein. 


114 


Jn  Brightest  Asia. 


the  English-speaking  prayer  meeting ;  were  welcomed  at  a  large  social  gathering  given  by  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Stuart,  and  were  delighted  to  greet,  among  others,  our  old  friend  and  brother,  Dr. 
Shaw  Loo,  whom  we  had  met  in  America  in  his  student-days.  We  hear  accounts  of  his  extended 
usefulness  in  the  pursuit  of  his  profession.  He  superintends  also  the  large  Burman  Sunday 
school. 

Two  days  only  could  we  devote  to  Maulmein,  but  they  were  high  days  of  feasting  along  the 
line  of  some  of  the  loftiest  sentiments  which  from  early  childhood  have  grown  strong  within  us. 


LANIJI.NG  ON'  THE  IKKAWADIJV. 


Jl7<^  Basseir^  /T\issior7. 

What  Maulmein  and  Rangoon  have  long  been  to  work  among  the  Burmans,  that  Bassein  is 
to  work  among  the  Karens.  Many  early  triumphs  were  won  here.  At  all  events,  the  fruits  of 
those  triumphs  under  the  labors  of  Abbot,  Beecher,  Carpenter  and  others  are  clustered  here. 
There  are  more  than  8,000  Sgau  Karen  communicants  connected  with  our  churches  in  the  Bassein 


On  Bill  man  ^oil. 


"5 


district.  Besides  these,  there  are  some  4,000  I'vvo  Karen  communicants.  Other  important 
stations  like  Sandoway  in  Arracan  and  lieii/.ada  exist,  which  for  lack  of  time  we  were  regretfully 
unable  to  visit.  What  is  to  be  seen  at  lUsseiii  will  suffice  for  a  sample  of  the  maturer  results  of 
work  for  the  Karens. 

Our  trip  was  a  twenty-four  hours'  sail  by  Irrawaddy  steamer  through  various  branches  and 
creeks  which  compose  the  vast  delta  of  the  great  river  of  Burma.  The  country  is  entirely  flat, 
largely  given  10  rice  cultivation,  although  in  some  parts  u  is  a  densely  wooded  jungle.  The 


banks  of  all  the  streams  are  of  black  mud,  alon;^  which  we  see  at  intervals,  sprawling  in  the  sun, 
immense  alligators,  which  at  the  blowing  of  our  steam  whistle  or  the  report  of  a  rifle,  lumber- 
ingly  wriggle  off  into  the  water.  Two  or  three  of  our  brother  missionaries  have  joined  us  on  the 
trip,  to  make  the  most  of  our  time  for  a  visit ;  and  the  good-natured,  easy-going  Bishop  Strahan 
of  Rangoon  is  also  of  our  company. 

I  arrived  at  Bassein  in  the  late  afternoon,  just  before  sunset.  The  prospect  that  lay  before 
us  was  very  winning.  The  tropical  luxuriance  of  vegetation  was  something  to  remember ;  the 
gilded  pagodas  were  flashing  splendid  in  the  sunlight,  and  the  throng  of  gaily  decked  natives 


On  Jyurinan  Soil. 


117 


about  the  wharves  made  a  scene  truly  characteristic.  As  we  disembarked  and  passed  over  the 
wharf  to  the  long  avenue  which  led  u])  from  the  landing,  our  attention  was  directed  to  two  com- 
panies of  Karen  young  people  grouped  on  each  side  of  the  avenue  under  the  friendly  palms.  The 
one  was  a  company  of  girls,  and  the  other  a  company  of  young  men  from  the  schools,  come  out  to 
meet  us.  A  moment  later,  and  lirother  Nichols,  with  his  black  pony  and  American  buggy,  came 
driving  down  the  avenue.  He  took  us  in,  and  we  were  driven  up  to  the  mission  compound,  a  mile 
away,  escorted  by  the  smiling  band  of  young  people.  On  the  way  we  pas.sed  the  Burman 
mission-house  and  the  headquarters  of  the  Pwo  Karen  interest,  consisting  of  two  fine  com- 
pounds with  boys'  and  girls'  schools,  under  the  general  direction  of  Brother  L.  W.  Cronkhite, 
assisted  by  several  ladies  of  the  Woman's  Board.    Here  we  greeted  former  acquaintances  in  the 


BASSEIN  CHORAL  SOCIKTV. 


West,  Miss  Higby  and  Miss  Tschirch.  We  also  passed  the  Burman  chapel  and  compound, 
now,  unhappily,  without  a  missionary  occupant,  formerly  occupied  by  the  Jamesons.  Grouped  on 
the  Sgau  Karen  compound,  on  high  ground,  are  the  mission-house  built  by  the  late  Rev.  J.  S. 
Beecher  (a  brother-in-law  of  the  writer),  the  Ko-Thah-Byu  Memorial  Hall,  the  girls'  school,  a 
hospital,  and  half  a  dozen  boarding-cottages  for  students.  It  was  an  attractive  prospect,  and 
showed  evidences  of  thrift  and  good  management  on  every  hand. 

There  was  a  pleasant  sense  of  being  at  home  as  we  were  ushered  into  the  rooms  in  the  mis- 
sion-house, for  years  occupied  by  those  closely  bound  to  us  by  family  ties.  We  found  the  Beech- 
ers  were  warmly  remembered  by  multitudes  of  the  people,  including  teachers  and  preachers  of 
two  generations.  Mr.  Beecher  came  to  this  field  in  1846,  making  his  first  voyage  to  Burma  in 
company  with  Dr.  Judson,  who  then  made  his  last.    Mr.  Beecher  labored  here  for  nineteen  years. 


iiS 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


He  rests  from  his  labors  in  Plymouth,  England, 

our  two  days' 


DA  BUH. 


His  practical  stamp  is  on  miuy  of  the  workers, 
and  his  works  do  follow  him. 

There  were  three  notable  gatherings  of  all  branches  of  the  mission  durin; 
sojurn.  Two  of  these  were  in  the  Ko-Thah-Byu  Memorial  Hall, 
on  which  occasions  we  had  the  pleasure  of  addressing  three 
or  four  hundred  of  the  Karens,  mostly  pupils  in  the  schools. 
The  third  occasion  was  at  the  dedication  of  the  new  Pwo  girls' 
school  building.  It  was  a  spectacle  to  see  these  assemblages  of 
bright,  intelligent  youth,  trophies  of  gospel  influence.  Their 
appearance  was  very  picturesque,  in  their  pink  turbans,  white 
jackets,  and  bright  colored  skirts,  and  how  they  did  sing! 
A  choir  of  about  fifty  of  them  treated  us  to  a  concert,  rendering 
some  of  the  finest  choruses  from  classic  composers  as  Abt, 
Mendelssohn,  etc.,  with  English  words,  which  truly  astonished 
us.  That  same  choral  society  was  practicing  on  the  "  Messiah" 
by  Handel,  expecting  soon  to  give  it  before  the  Chief  Com- 
missioner of  Burma  and  the  elite  of  Rangoon,  as  they  had 
previously  rendered  other  compositions  in  elaborate  concerts. 
Besides  this,  the  young  men  have  a  brass  band,  using  a  score  or 
so  of  instruments.    Dressed  in  their  European  uniforms,  they  presented  a  fine  appearance,  and 

discoursed  sweet  strains  for  us  during 
part  of  one  afternoon. 

Nothing  moved  me  more  than  the 
dozen  or  more  veteran  preachers  who 
had  come  in  from  various  parts  of  the 
jungle  to  present  their  salutations. 
Among  them  was  one  old  man  of  tall 
figure  and  large  brain,  Myat-Keh  by 
name,  ninety  years  of  age.  He  was  one 
of  the  early  converts.  I  think  he  was 
a  survivor  of  one  of  those  companies  of 
Karens  who  in  the  early  days  came  in 
over  the  Arakan  hills  by  midnight, 
for  fear  of  their  Burman  oppressors  by 
day,  to  hear  the  gospel  at  Abbot's  elo- 
quent lips  and  to  receive  baptism.  At 
the  close  of  my  address  on  the  second 
evening,  Myat-Keh  was  called  out  in 
response,  and  spoke  most  fervently,  the 
address  being  interpreted  for  me  into 
 English.    Other  interesting  characters 

PADDY  BIX. 


On  lim  vian  Soil. 


"9 


were  introduced  to  me,  such  as  \  ah-ha  and  Myah-sa,  doing  valuable  work  in  the  schools.  Then 
there  was  Da- Hull,  the  well-to-do  and  devoted  deacon  who  is  so  eager  an  evangelist  to  the  Karen 
people  that  he  sends  out,  froni  time  to  time,  at  his  own  expense,  evangelizing  expeditions  to 
distant  tribes,  as  in  Northern  Siam,  with  the  gospel  tidings. 

Another  special  feature  of  the  work  at  Bassein  which  impressed  us  was  the  industrial  enter- 
prise in  the  form  of  a  large  lumber  mill,  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  which  the  Karens  have  purchased 
and  are  successfully  operating.    There  were  gang  saws  at  work  cutting  teak  timber;  " Diston 


girls'  school. 


saws"  from  Philadelphia;  "  Rogers' planers "  were  in  operation;  sash  and  doors  were  making. 
All  of  this  was  entirely  carried  on  by  the  Karens.  There  was  a  Karen  superintendent,  a  Karen 
book-keeper,  and  a  Karen  in  charge  of  the  engine ;  and  down  at  the  landing  another  Karen 
engineer  and  a  pilot,  to  manage  Brother  Nichols'  steam  launch  as  he  goes  up  and  down  the  rivers 
touring  among  the  jungle  churches. 

The  Karens  have  also  an  artificial  ice-making  establishment ;  they  have  their  own  rice  mills  ; 
they  have  an  extensive  printing-establishment;  they  make  their  own  hymn  books,  etc.  Self- 
support  has  reached  a  high  state  of  development  in  the  Bassein  Mission,  as  all  the  world  knows 


1 20 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


through  Mr.  Carpenter's  writings.  Missions  like  this  are  anything  but  a  failure.  The  Missionary 
Union,  moreover,  is  most  fortunate  in  the  present  able  management  of  the  Bassein  work  under 
Messrs.  Nichols  and  Cronkhite.  They  have  been  thus  fortunate  on  this  field  from  the  beginning. 
Here,  surely,  if  anywhere  on  Asiatic  mission-fields,  is  a  miracle  of  missionary  success. 

On  the  return  to  Rangoon,  we  had  a  bare  glimpse  of  Maubin  by  lamplight  and  at  midnight ;  of 
the  external  features  of  the  admirable  work  for  Pwo  Karens  at  Maubin,  under  the  conduct  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bushell,  assisted  by  Miss  Putnam.  The  captain  detained  the  steamer  for  an  hour  in  the 
night  watches,  to  allow  us  this  brief  call.  At  Waukema,  also  en  route,  the  steamer  lay  to  for  an 
hour,  while  we  visited  the  mission-house  lately  vacated  by  the  devoted  Jamesons.  Here  we  saw 
the  Sunday  school  in  session,  and  met  several  capable  native  workers.  When  the  children  were 
asked  if  they  would  like  to  send  greetings  to  the  American  children  on  the  other  side  of  the 
world,  they  were  silent;  but  when  asked  if  they  "  knew  Teacher  Jameson,"  and  would  like  to  send 
their  love  to  him,  they  all  promptly  sprang  to  their  feet.  Alas !  that  so  often  in  stations  like  this, 
when  the  worn-out  missionary  is  compelled  to  go  home  to  recruit,  there  is  no  one  prepared  to 
take  his  place,  and  so  for  years  the  work  languishes  or  devouring  wolves  come  in  and  spoil  the 
flock. 

Jl^e  BurmaQ  Jl^^te  I^ailu;ay. 

When  Judson  visited  Ava  from  Rangoon,  in  1S24,  he  was  six  tedious  weeks  in  making  the 
up-river  voyage  of  350  miles  by  native  boat.  We  made  the  trip,  taking  the  liurman  State  Railway, 
in  twenty-two  hours.    The  Burma  of  to-day,  as  a  well-regulated  British  province,  is  anything 

but  the  Burma  of 
1824.  You  board 
the  train  at  Ran- 
goon, and  roll  out 
of  a  modern  sta- 
tion having  all  the 
appearance  and 
convenience  of  a 
western  railway 
centre ;  and  from 
thence,  on  to 
Mandalay,  you 
pass  through 
numerous  station 
towns  attended 
with  all  the  bustle 
and  business  that 
characterize  a 
trunk  line  in  the 
western  states  of 


On  Ihirvian  Soil. 


121 


America.  Many  new  and  flourishing  towns,  like  Yemethen  and  I'unmana,  arc  springing  up, 
wliich  give  promise  of  new  enterprises,  and  involve  the  shifting  of  population  from  old  centres, 
precisely  as  a  railway  line  in  Dakota 
or  Kansas  reconstructs  the  life  of  a 
piece  of  American  territory.  Modern 
enterprise  is  by  no  means  confined 
to  the  Occident.  The  Orient  is 
pulsating  also  with  the  world-thrill  of 
human  and  divine  action.  ISurman 
plains,  mountains  and  jungles,  as 
really  as  American  pampas,  are  being 
populated  by  restless  peoples  who, 
from  China,  India  and  other  over- 
peopled regions,  seek  the  virgin 
tracts  which,  in  Burma,  are  being 
reclaimed  from  wild  beasts  and  wilder 
jungle  wastes. 

The  Burman  railway,  for  the  whole 
350  miles,  runs  through  a  compara- 
tively level  region.  In  the  southern 
part  you  pass  through  a  vast  stretch 
of  rice-fields,  that  in  appearance  are 
much  like  the  old-time  stubble-fields 
of  Illinois  when  it  was  a  wheat-grow- 
ing state.  In  the  northern  part,  the 
lands  are  less  fertile,  often  alkaline, 
resembling  Nebraska  plains,  except 
that  occasional  palms  and  groves  of 
scrubby  timber  spring  up  through  the 
dry  and  sunburned  landscape.  Away 
to  the  eastward,  paralleling  the  line  of  railway,  a  lofty  range  of  evergreen  mountains  stretches  the 
whole  distance.  To  the  westward,  may  be  seen  lower  undulating  slopes  and  elevations,  beyond 
which  flows  the  turbid  Irrawaddy. 

During  the  last  seventy-five  miles  of  the  journey  Hearing  Mandalay,  we  approach  close 
to  the  eastern  hills.  We  meet  with  more  abundant  water  supply  and  with  increased  beauty 
of  hill  scenery.  We  discern  also,  alas !  as  in  all  heathen  countries,  the  multiplied  emblems 
of  idolatry.  Pagodas  crown  all  the  hilltops,  frequently  the  very  hillocks  and  even  isolated 
rocks,  sometimes  a  score  in  a  group.  In  some  cases  a  hundred  or  so  are  clustered  picturesquely 
within  a  diameter  of  a  mile.  We  are  reminded  by  these  thronging  emblems  that  we  are  nearing 
the  very  seat  of  Buddhism  in  Burma  for  nearly  900  years,  as  well  as  the  historic  seat  of  Burma's 
idolatrous  royalty,  established  successively  by  various  proud  monarchs  at  Amarapoora,  then  at  Ava, 


LIFE  OUT  OF  DEATH. 


133 


Jii  Brightest  Asia. 


:uicl  lin;ill\-  at  Mandalay,  where  Thibaw  recently  surrendered  almost  without  a  show  of  resistance. 
These  three  cities  (only  the  ruins  of  the  two  former  remaining  to  be  seen)  are  all  situated  within 
a  diameter  of  about  ten  miles.  As  our  train  rolls  on,  we  find  ourselves  moving  through  extensive 
ruins  of  the  environs  of  Amarapoora.  Now  we  dash  through  the  remains  of  an  ancient  wall  made 
of  bricks,  some  thirty  feet  in  thickness  and  twenty  feet  in  height.  Ruins  of  temples,  monuments 
and  monasteries  are  strewn  on  every  hand.  There  stands  a  Buddha  cleft  clean  down  the  back 
by  the  stroke  of  time :  and  the  lofty  zayat,  which  has  long  sheltered  it,  looks  as  if  the  next  train 
that  thundered  past  would  topple  it  over.  "  O  shade  of  Ah  rah-han  (the  first  Buddhist  apostle 
of  Burma) !  weep  over  thy  falling  fanes  !  retire  from  the  scenes  of  thy  past  greatness  !  But  thou 
smilest  at  my  feeble  voice.  Linger  there  thy  little  remaining  day.  A  voice  mightier  than  mine, 
a  still  small  voice,  will  ere  long  sweep  away  every  vestige  of  thy  dominion.  The  churches  of 
Jesus  will  soon  supplant  these  idolatrous  monuments,  and  the  chanting  of  the  devotees  of  Buddha 
will  die  away  before  the  Christian  hymn  of  praise."  Tlius  exclaimed  Judson,  as  in  1824  he  sur- 
veyed the  999  pagodas  of  Pagan,  not  far  from  this  same  region.  Thus  we  say  to-day,  with  the 
multiplied  tokens  of  God's  breath  of  indignation  scattering  to  the  plains  the  dust  of  these  crumb- 
ling piles. 

/T\a9dalay. 

Arrived  at  the  station  in  Mandalay,  Brethren  Kelly  and  Sutherland  met  us,  and  we  were  soon 
resting  on  the  broad  veranda  of  Brother  Kelly's  mission-house.  Dr.  Packer  of  Meiktila  had 
joined  us  on  the  way ;  and  some  eight  or  ten  other  missionaries  from  the  vicinity,  including  two 
ladies  from  Maulmein,  on  a  visit,  soon  gathered,  and  in  the  evening  we  had  a  conference,  clos- 


MANDALAY. 


ing  with  much  fervent  prayer  for  God's  special  blessing  on  this  new,  yet  old,  centre  of  work 
in  Upper  Burma.  There  are  five  bases  of  operation  for  work  among  Burmans  in  and  near  Man- 
dalay :  Mr.  Kelly's  mission  compound,  including  a  girls'  school ;  the  Judson  Memorial  Church 
compound,  including  the  fine  new  brick  church ;  a  teak  school  building  and  a  new  brick  school 
building  just  rising;  the  new  mission-house,  within  the  walls  of  the  city  proper,  occupied  by  Mrs. 
Hancock ;  the  day  school  building,  in  a  thronged  quarter  of  the  city,  and  the  fine  compound  occu- 
pied by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sutherland,  at  Sagaing,  sixteen  miles  down  the  river. 


On  JJurman  Soil. 


123 


Mandalay,  wilh  its  population  of  200,000,  is  strategically  the  most  important  centre,  if  we 
seek  Ikirman  conversion  in  the  whole  empire.  Judson  know  it  from  the  bej^inning.  An  awful 
chasm  had  to  be  crossed  to  reach  it,  —  broader  than  even  he  knew,  —  but  we  have  reached  it  at 
last,  thanks  to  God\s 
providence,  painful  and 
slow  though  it  has  been, 
and  right  ably  is  it  being 
occupied,  as  respects  the 
character  of  the  devoted 
men  and  women  now  in 
possession. 

/^ua,  tl?e  CioldeQ. 

The  morning  of  our 
second  day  in  this 
region  we  devoted  to  a 
trip  down  the  river  by 
steamer  to  Sagaing  and 
old  Ava,  "the  golden." 
Sagaing  is  now  the 
principal  town,  the  resi- 
dence of  a  deputy 
commissioner,    and  an 

important  railway  station  on  a  new  line.  It  is  beautiful  for  situation,  occupying  a  dense  grove 
of  tamarind  trees,  and  surrounded  by  lofty  promontories,  crowned  with  pagodas  and  kyoungs 
of  myriad  numbers  and  forms  —  the  creations  of  past  dynasties,  which  would  fain  pile  up  merit 
through  these  artistic  accumulations  of  whitewashed  bricks,  with  gilded  h'tees  tinkling  with  bells 
by  the  thousand. 

What  was  once  Ava  lies  directly  opposite  Sagaing.  The  Irrawaddy  is  here  three  fourths  of  a 
mile  wide.  A  dismantled  wall  skirts  the  bluff  above  the  river-bed  for  miles.  When  Mandalay 
was  built,  the  capital  of  the  former  monarch  was  destroyed  ;  and  so  the  city  which  Judson  saw 
formally  occupied  with  so  much  pageantry  and  circumstance  that  he  declared  it  "  far  surpassed 
anything  he  had  ever  seen  or  imagined,"  is  now,  and  long  has  been,  not  only  wholly  a  ruin,  but 
the  very  grounds  on  which  the  city  stood  have  become  a  jungle  of  tangled  tropical  shrubbery 
and  vines.  A  few  squatter  villages  are  sprinkled  through  the  place.  There  are  ruins  of  a  few 
monasteries  and  pagodas;  while  of  the  splendid  new  palace  of  Judson's  time,  only  the  tall, 
square-built  bell  tower  remains,  and  that  is  leaning  to  a  speedy  fall.  It  is  picturesquely  covered 
with  vines.  The  belfry,  whence  the  Judsons  heard  strike  the  dismal  hours  of  their  long-drawn 
agony,  is  now  the  home  of  bats  and  lizards.  The  place  is  death-struck,  and  one  cannot  resist 
the  impression  that  the  woe  of  God  overtook  the  place;  while,  as  a  sturdy  old  Burman  said,  at 


1--}  In  Brightest  Asia. 

our  farewell  meeting  in  Rangoon,  "  The  region  near  where  Judsou  suftered,  has  been  made  an 
honorable  ])lace  to  Judson"s  renown,  by  the  erection  of  the  Memorial  Chapel." 

A  worthy  ]5urman  pastor,  who  knew  the  site  of  the  old  "  Death  Prison,"  was  our  guide  to  the 


BELL  TOWER  OF  AVA. 


spot.  It  was  nearly  two  miles  from  where  the  Judsons  lived,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the 
palace  tower.  There  is  only  a  heap  of  rubbish,  amid  which  we  found  a  little  white  marble 
elephant,  symbol  of  departed  royalty,  to  mark  the  spot.    Two  stately  trees  overshadow  it. 


On  Jhirman  Soil. 


125 


Beneath  their  shade,  our  party  gathered,  sang  "Jesus  shall  reign  where'er  the  sun,"  and  then 
Dr.  Packer  led  us  in  prayer  for  a  new  baptism  of  power  on  all  workers  for  Burma.  The  native 
pastor  followed  in  a  pathetic  petition  for  the  same  blessing.  We  refreshed  ourselves  from  our 
lunch  baskets,  chatted  with  the  poor  straggling  natives,  who  curiously  hung  about  us,  climbed 
the  cnmibling  steps  to  a  great  shrine  which  once  overlooked  the  prison,  but  which  now  is  rotten 
with  age  and  neglect,  and  came  away  in  good  mood  for  the  reception  given  us  by  the  native 
church,  at  the  Memorial  Chapel  compound,  in  the  afternoon  and  evening. 


SITE  OF  THE  DEATH  PRISON' 


Judjop  /T\emorial  C^l^apel. 

Delightful  as  all  these  meetings  with  the  Karen  and  Burman  Christians  have  been,  none  came 
nearer  to  our  hearts  than  this  one.  First,  we  were  served  to  tea ;  then  we  were  introduced  to  a 
score  or  so  of  veteran  pastors  and  teachers,  including  one  old,  blind  deacon,  a  disciple  of  Kincaid. 


126 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


Then  came  a  detachment  of  eighty  uniformed  ivaren  policemen,  all  Christians,  in  the  employ  of 
the  government.  There  is  a  battalion  of  these,  400  strong.  Then  the  hand-shaking  began. 
We  adjourned  from  the  schoolroom  to  the  chapel,  and  after  Scripture,  hymns  and  prayer,  we 
addressed  them.  Brother  Kelly  interpreted.  It  must  have  been  with  rare  skill  and  with  a  full 
heart ;  it  surely  was  magnetic  upon  both  speaker  and  audience.  The  episode  of  the  morning  had 
brought  to  us  almost  the  companionship  and  spiritual  presences  of  the  mighty  sufferers  of  Ava 
and  Oung-pen-la.    We  began  with  allusions  to  the  high  interest  of  the  locality,  then  passed  on 


JUDSON  MEMORIAL  CHURCH. 

to  the  power  of  the  cross  principle,  and  the  need  of  it  in  all  our  work.  The  Spirit  honored  it. 
It  was  evident  to  all,  as  we  sat  there  in  the  twilight,  —  to  the  Karens  who  sat  tearful  on  the  right, 
to  the  Burmans  whose  flashing  eyes  responded  on  the  left,  to  the  dear  missionaries  who  yearned 
and  sympathized  in  front,  —  that  God  was  near.  It  was  suggested  that  we  close  with  a  prayer  and 
consecration  meeting  in  front  of  the  pulpit.  Scores,  both  of  Karens  and  Burmans,  pressed  for- 
ward. For  a  half-hour  prayer  flowed,  all  of  us  on  bended  knees,  especially  that  new  power  might 
be  poured  on  all  for  Burman  evangelization.  It  was  a  melting  time.  It  was  good  to  be  there. 
One  Karen  youth  pressed  forward  at  the  close  to  say,  with  moistened  eyes,  that  he  "meant  to  be 


On  liitrman  Soil. 


127 


faithful  unto  dcatli."  Several  I'ui- 
man  young  women  lestitied  to 
marked  blessing  received.  God 
give  it  permanence  and  power, 
that  we  may  begin  to  see  among 
Burmans  what  we  have  long  seen 
among  Karens ! 


OuQc^-peQ-la. 


DEDICATION  DAY  AT  MEMORIAL  CHURCH. 


The  next  morning,  a  party  of  a 
dozen  of  us,  including  several  of  the 
Burmans  whose  hearts  had  been  so 
warmed  the  evening  before,  drove 
to  Oung-pen-la,  distant  from  Man- 
dalay  four  miles.  The  present 
place  is  a  squalid  Lttle  village  of 
perhaps  thirty  houses.    The  site  of 

the  old  prison  is  a  vacant  lot,  hard  by  a  little  kyoung  and  another  decaying  pagoda.  The 
paddy  bins,  the  quaint  old  ox  carts  with  plank  wheels  and  wooden  axles,  precisely  like  those 
Mrs.  Judson  describes  as  used  by  her  in  the  rides  to  and  from  Amarapoora  across  the  dry, 
hot  plain,  were  there  to  be  seen.  We  recalled  the  pathetic  scenes  and  experiences  which  her 
graphic  pen  describes.    We  thanked  God  that  those  sufferings  long  ago  were  ended,  and 

for  their  awakening  effect  on  the 
American  church,  and  for  the  pros- 
pect Brother  Kelly  says  there  is,  that 
on  this  very  mission  ground  a  Baptist 
Christian  chapel  may  soon  be  built. 
Again,  under  the  shade  of  the 
neighboring  trees,  we  gathered  for 
a  little  prayer  and  praise  meeting, 
some  engaging  in  English  and  some 
in  Burman,  the  groups  of  village 
children  and  others  lingering  near 
with  wondering  eyes.  For  them  also 
we  prayed,  and  for  their  descend- 
ants to  latest  time,  that  they  might 
know  Him  for  whose  sake  the  early 
sufferers  on  ,  this  spot  lived  and 
died. 


Jn  Jh-i<ihtcst  Asia. 


A  Karen  Assoeiation. 

January  15. 

It  was  a  most  favoring  providence  that  timed  the  meeting  of  one  of  our  Karen  associations 
50  as  to  exactly  correspond  with  the  week  we  had  to  devote  to  Central  Burma.  Dr.  15unker  of 
Toungoo  was  on  the  lookout :  and  one  morning,  just  as  we  were  despairing  of  such  a  coinci- 
dence, he  overtook 
us  ten  minutes 
prior  to  sailing  for 
Maulmein,  and 
persuasively  out- 
lined to  us  his 
anticipations  in 
ourbelialf.  These, 
in  brief,  were  that 
we  should  go  out 
with  him  and  a 
half-dozen  other 
missionaries  two 
da\  journey  from 
Toungoo,  east- 
ward, over  two 
ranges  of  moun- 
tains, and  attend 
the  annual  associa- 
tional  gathering  of 
about  sixty  or  more 
of  the  B'ghai 
Karen  churches. 

It  would  involve  some  hard  climbing  over  mountain  bridle-paths,  with  some  camping  out  amid 
the  wilds  of  the  jungle,  with  some  exposures.  But  what  were  these  compared  with  an  oppor- 
tunity to  see  the  Burman  jungle  in  all  its  wild  variety,  to  observe  the  Karen  in  his  primitive 
villages  and  mountain  haunts,  with  five  days  of  intercourse  with  the  missionary  brethren  and 
sisters  on  the  veritable  field,  face  to  face  with  the  conditions  under  which  jungle  work  is  carried 
on,  and  face  to  face,  also,  with  a  blessed  sphere  of  influence,  which  none  who  have  not  witnessed 
it  can  ever  realize.  Here  was  an  opportunity  to  go  along  and  sample  the  thing  for  ourselves. 
We  resolved  that  to  put  in  one  week,  out  of  three  in  Burma,  in  the  jungle  itself,  was  the  wisest 
economy  of  time,  w^hatever  mere  stations  with  comparative  comforts  and  interests  should  appear 
neglected. 

On  Monday  morning,  after  the  Sabbath  spent  at  Toungoo,  in  pleasant  converse  with  the 
Crosses,  Johnsons,  Cochranes,  Kirkpatricks,  Dr.  Cushing  and  others,  we  started ;  four  mission- 


SHAX  MISSIOX-HOUSE,  TOUNGOO. 


On  JiiirDian  Soil. 


129 


urics,  two  Aiiieiican  visitors,  several  boys,  two  cooks,  fourteen  coolies,  four  ponies,  and  two 
elephants  bearinj;  our  campinj;  outfit,  provisions,  etc.  For  a  couple  of  hours  we  threaded  our 
way  alon^  a  dusty  path  through  the  iiigh  reeds  and  tiger-grass  which  abound  iii)on  the  wide 
stretch  of  the  river  bottom-lands.  Later  we  found  ourselves  astray  in  a  by-path  which  wan- 
dered into  a  dense  government  preserve  of  teak  forest,  the  most  valued  wood  of  Burma.  We 
recovered  our  bearings,  and  rose  to  the  foothills  of  the  first  range  of  mountains.  Now  forest 
trees  began  to  appear,  of  large  diameter,  rising  sheer  without  a  branch  for  100  feet,  and 
then  spreading  into  a  broad,  rich  canopy  top.  What  roots  they  have  !  shooting  out  in  great 
fan-shaped  buttresses,  starting  often  from  twenty  feet  above  the  ground,  bracing  the  trees  on 
every  side.  These  are  oil  trees,  and  there  are  many  banyans  with  such  net-works  of  branches 
running  downward  as  well  as  upward.  Then  note  the  vines,  twisted,  gnarled,  knotted  and  often 
binding  together  a  dozen  trees,  as  if  throttling  a  squad  of  them  to  the  death.  The  thorny- 
barked  rattan  depends  on  every  side  ;  clumps  of  bamboo,  in  scores  of  species,  stand  thick  about  us, 
and  palms  many  and  picturesque.  The  curious  nest  of  the  weaver  bird  tempts  us  aside,  in  a  vain 
attempt  to  reach 
the  coveted 
prize.  The  still- 
ness is  as  solemn 
as  the  t  r  o  p  i  - 
cal  m  o  n  a  r  c  h  s 
are  majestic. 
Anon  we  come 
upon  m  o  u  n  - 
tain  brooks, 
babbling  and 
musical  as  a 
Vermont  trout 
stream.  Often 
the  jungle  is  so 
tangled  that  we 
are  compelled  to 
make  our  way  up 
the  bed  of  a 
stream  ;  then  our 
ponies,  clamber- 
ing up  the  rocky 
banks,  tug  for 
hours  up  a  rug- 
ged bridle-path 

to  some  great  height,  whereon  we  find  a  lookout  over  a  wide  landscape  of  wondrous  loveliness. 
Towards  the  end  of  the  first  day,  while  we  are  resting  for  a  little  by  a  singing,  cool  brook. 


A  JUNGLE  I'ROCESSION. 


I30 


In  J>rio/iicst  Asia. 


we  hear  the  "  tunk-a-tunk  "  of  an  clepliant  bell,  and  a  few  minutes  later,  issuing  from  the  copse 
that  overhangs  a  dry  ravine,  a  great  "  Jumbo  "  appears,  packed  and  girded,  with  a  Karen  on  his 
neck,  a  group  of  half  a  dozen  others  following.  This  company  proves  to  be  one  of  our  village 
pastors,  with  several  other  delegates,  on  their  way,  likewise  to  the  association.    There  in  the 

wilderness  the  introductions  with  the  hand-shakings  began,  and 
for  four  days  they  went  on  with  scarcely  any  cessation.  The 
Karens  we  found  to  be  great  hand-shakers.    This  new  company 
\m  l^M^^^^^X^^I^         ""^^^  became  our  guides  to  the  village,  two  hours  farther  on, 
\l  i  \v^\       ^^'l^ei'e  we  were  to  encamp  for  the  night.    On  they  led  us, 

through  tangled  ways,  around  shoulders  of  the  cliff's,  down 
through  ravines,  across  rice-fields,  under  overhanging  bamboo 
groves,  till  at  length,  just  at  dusk,  we  arrived  at  the  entrance 
to  a  village,  situated  in  a  most  secluded  retreat. 

If  seems  we  had  been  expected.  What  preparations  they  had 
\  made  for  us  !  By  what  system  of  telegraphy  I  know  not,  but 
j  somehow,  from  the  moment  Dr.  Bunker  sent  out  the  word  that 
we  were  to  come,  the  whole  jungle,  through  a  wide  district, 
dotted  by  half  a  hundred  villages,  became  Lware  of  it,  and 
Karendom  was  at  our  service  and  on  the  watch  towers  for  our 
humble  coming.  At  this  village  of  r  ur  right  halt,  apparently 
men  had  been  at  work  for  days  preparing  for  our  arrival  and 
comfort.  They  had  constructed  booths  and  booths ;  two  large 
ones,  with  floors  well  elevated  above  ground,  with  roofs,  and 
walls  at  the  sides,  and  even  steps,  with  a  hand-rail  for  safe  ascent. 
On  the  floors  of  ihese  booths,  all  of  split  and  woven  bamboo, 
everything  constructed  without  nails,  we  were  to  pitch  our  tents 
and  spread  our  beds.  A  cooking-booth  was  also  prepared,  and  a 
neat  and  ingenious  woven  bamboo  table.  Wood  had  been  gath- 
ered for  our  fires,  and  water  Drought  in  bamboo  buckets  for  our- 
selves and  our  beasts.  Without  a  match  or  a  flint,  the  Karens 
lighted  our  fires  ;  all  with  that  magical  bamboo.  They  brought  fowls  for  our  meal,  and,  with 
a  round  of  hand-shaking  that  betokened  fellowship  of  the  genuine  sort,  they  bade  us  welcome 
to  their  best.  A  couple  of  hours  afterwards  they  joined  us  around  the  campfire  at  our  evening 
worship.  It  was  solemn  and  touching,  there  in  the  moonlight,  our  fires  brightly  blazing,  the 
elephants  and  ponies  browsing  among  the  herbage  near  by,  to  witness  the  kneeling  company, 
listen  to  the  voices  of  prayer,  now  in  English  and  now  in  Karen,  and  to  hear  from  all  the 
Karens  the  "  Amen"  at  the  close.  As  our  evening  song  floated  above  the  trees,  we  thought  of 
far-distant  friends  in  America,  whose  loving  prayers  have  followed  us  even  to  these  wilds. 


WEAVER  birds'  NEST. 


■'  Though  sundered  far,  by  faith  we  meet 
Around  one  common  mercy-seat." 


0)i  ]>i(riiian  Soil. 


•3' 


At  daybreak  of  the  second  day.  wc  had  broken  camp,  and  were  again  on  the  march,  up  and 
ever  up  the  mountain  slopes,  with  occasional  crossings  of  the  mountain  streams,  and  with  more 
numerous  meetings  with  the  highland  villages.  In  each  of  these  settlements  there  was  a  chajjcl, 
by  far  the  best  building  in  the  place.  There  were  the  worn  Karen  Bible  and  hymn  book  on  the 
bamboo  desk.  Each  evening  in  all  these  Christian  villages  where  there  is  a  teacher,  as  is  usu- 
ally the  case,  it  is  the  custom  for  the  teacher  to  gather  the  whole  community  for  evening  .Scripture 
reading,  explanation,  singing  and  worship.  In  one  of  these  evening  services  which  we  attended 
on  our  return,  we  counted  sixty-five  present.  They  were  poor,  so  poor  in  appearance !  not 
unlike  the  Indians  of  the  American  border;  but  they  heard  a  clear  exposition  of  precious  divine 
truth.  They  knew  and  sang,  "  Thus  far  the  Lord  hath  led  me  on,"  and  in  prayer  all  were  on 
their  faces  before  God.  In  communities  like  these,  to  be  found  by  the  score,  is  the  place,  by  the 
way,  to  observe  the  fruits  and  value  of  the  scJiool  woxV,  often  narrowly  criticised,  which  goes  on 
in  places  like  Maulmein  and  Bassein.  Without  teachers  trained  in  just  such  schools,  there  could 
be  no  such  influences  kept  perpetually  working  in  numerous  far-out  jungle  villages  in  Burma. 
The  missionaries  at 
the  best  can  be  only 
field  marshals  over 
the  churches,  direct- 
ing these  native  coun- 
try teachers  trained 
by  the  school,  and 
set  to  work  out  the 
details  in  behalf  of 
native  populations. 

About  5  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  of  the 
second  day,  as  we 
came  around  on  a 
sort  of  high,  curved 
water  shed  of  the 
range  of  hills  we 
had  for  hours  been 
ascending,  we  entered 
a  piece  of  cleared 
ground,  amid  which 
was  a  nati\e  ceme- 
tery.   There  were 

monuments  of  bamboo  and  boards  raised  to  a  few  of  the  believers  who  had  passed  away,  with 
touching  allusion  in  the  inscriptions  to  their  blessed  exchange  of  worlds.  We  were  on  the  con- 
fines of  the  settlement  wherein  the  associational  meeting  was  to  be  held.  Casting  our  eyes  now 
across  the  deep  valley  to  the  right,  we  saw,  lying  on  a  bold  promontory  a  mile  away,  like  an  islet 


KAREN  JUNGLE  VILLAGE. 


In  Brig]itcst  Asia. 


amid  ;i  sea  of  valk-ys,  with  a  lofty  range  tilling  the  deeii  background  twenty  miles  beyond,  the 
village  which  was  waiting  to  receive  us. 

A  moment  more,  and  a  company  of  brethren  came  to  escort  us  in.  iVrrived  at  the  place, 
what  interest  we  felt  in  each  scene!  There  was  Brother  Crumb,  over  from  another  moun- 
tain district,  in  which  he  had  been  touring  for  two  months  among  the  Paku  Karens,  come  to 
meet  us.  Three  sisters  had  also  come  in  from  their  jungle  travels  to  join  in  the  meeting;  viz., 
IMiss  Simons,  Miss  Ambrose  and  Miss  Anderson,  the  latter  from  our  own  dear  Minnesota. 
Here  again  we  found  the  natives  had  fairly  built  a  small  town  of  booths  and  houses  for  all  sorts 
of  uses  for  our  comfort.  What  a  tabernacle  they  had  prepared  for  the  meetings!  It  reminded 
us  of  the  old  days  of  the  mammoth  Moody  tabernacles,  except  —  well,  it  didn't  cost  $30,000. 
It  was  only  bamboo  and  thatch.  There  was  a  carpet  of  bamboo,  on  which  the  1,058  delegates 
from  fifty-six  villages  and  churches  sat.  There  was  a  high  pulpit  and  an  elevation  for  the  digni- 
taries, a  table  for  the  scribes,  and  a  place  for  the  half-dozen  or  more  choirs,  from  as  many 
different  districts,  that  so  charmingly  sang.  Here  again  appear  the  fruits  of  your  lower  Burma 
schools.  Rills  of  numberless  good  things  permeate  these  wild  and  half-barbarous  jungles  like 
streams  from  Paradise,  and  are  starting  in  this  wide  wilderness  the  beginnings  of  the  new  Eden. 

Through  two  evening  sessions  and  a  whole  day  we  sat  and  drank  in  the  proceedings.  An 
able  Karen  presided.  In  his  prayer,  which  concluded  the  associational  gathering,  he  addressed 
the  Lord  as  follow-s,  respecting  my  visit :  "  And  now,  Lord,  we  have  seen  the  great  Secretary  of 
the  great  Missionary  Union  !  and  we  see  that  he  is  neither  a  giant  nor  an  animal  nor  a  griffin, 
but  otily  a  man  like  ourselves.  So  we  shall  have  to  continue  trusting  Thee  for  all  our  needs  just 
as  we  have  been  doing  heretofore."    A  pretty  sensible  disciple  that,  we  all  concluded. 

The  giving  was  an  astonishment  to  us,  considering  the  universal  poverty  of  these  hill  peoples. 
They  have  no  industries  as  yet  in  these  remote  parts.  There  is  a  crying  need  for  industrial 
teachers.  It  is  surprising  and  startling  to  see,  after  all,  how  little  has  been  accomplished  when 
these  peoples  who,  when  they  do  accept  the  gospel,  come  in  by  whole  villages,  are  simply 
evangelized.  They  have  accepted  Christ,  the  Bible,  the  hymn  book,  the  missionary  and  the 
village  teacher,  but  for  a  long  time  they  remain  still  in  ignorance,  in  filth,  in  much  real  social 
degradation.    They  need  to  be  inducted  into  the  elements  of  a  Christian  civilization  as  well. 

At  the  afternoon  service  the  representative  of  the  Missionary  Union  was  received  by  the 
association.  Their  enthusiasm  and  gratitude  were  touching  ;  their  appreciation  of  what  was  said 
to  them,  gratifying.  It  was  especially  interesting  to  see  the  influence  over  them  of  their  mission- 
aries, whom  they  revere  almost  as  gods.  What  bishoprics  are  here!  The  Missionary  Union 
is  especially  fortunate  in  that  for  more  than  twenty  years  —  years  in  which  the  whole  mission, 
centering  at  Toungoo,  was  at  one  time  threatened  with  wholesale  disaster  — there  have  been  in 
charge  such  men  as  the  now  venerable  Dr.  Cross  among  the  Pakus  and  Dr.  Bunker  among  the 
B'ghais.  Lost  ground  has  been  steadily  recovered  and  rapid  gains  made,  despite  a  form  of  ritual- 
istic proselytism  which  the  missionaries  have  had  to  contend  against,  that  is  as  cruel  as  it  is 
shameless  and  unprincipled. 

On  the  morning  of  the  third  day  we  broke  camp.  Dr.  Bunker,  Brother  Crumb  and  the 
lady  missionaries,  attended  by  several  of  the  experienced  school  girls,  pushing  out  into  regions 


On  JiiiriinDi  Soil. 


133 


beyond,  for  tlieir  annual  visitation  of  the  churches,  while  wc  returned  to  'roun;ioo.  '•  It  takes 
phick  to  do  tiiat,"  remarked  a  new  missionary  of  our  company  just  out  froni  home,  as  he 
saw  Miss  Simons  mount  her  packed  elephant  next  morning  and  leave  us,  accompanied  by 
her  Karen  assistants  and  the  coolies,  for  a  plunge  into  deeper  jungles  for  two  months  more  of 
visitation  among  the  churches  before  the  rains  begin.  Such  work  as  this  all  these  brave  young 
women  are  doing.  O  ye  luxury-loving  daughters  in  America,  could  ye  endure  a  test  like  this  to 
prove  your  love  to  Christ  and  immortal  souls?  And  yet  believe  me,  these  devoted  workers  ask 
not  for  your  commiseration.  They  prefer  these  toils,  even  with  all  their  exposures,  to  any  prizes 
which  this  world  can  offer.    They  simply  ask  for  your  prayers  and  co-operation. 

Among  tlie  red-letter  days  of  a  lifetime,  we  have  entered  high  up  on  the  calendar  the  days 
spent  in  the  li'ghai  Karen  district  contiguous  to  Toungoo. 

Our  yo^v)  /r\issioQ. 

In  connection  with  our  visit  to  Toungoo,  we  came  into  touch  with  our  Shan  Mission — first, 
through  the  companionship  of  Ur.  J.  N.  Gushing,  our  senior  missionary  to  the  Shans,  and  the 
able  translator  of  their  Scriptures;  secondly,  through  our  visit  to  the  old  Shan  mission-house  at 
Toungoo,  where  we  saw  somewhat  of  the  work  as  it  is  carried  on  among  a  limited  number  of 
these  people  who  frequent  such  stations  as  Toungoo  and  Mandalay ;  and  thirdly,  through  the 
meeting  with  Drs.  Kirkpatrick  and  Griggs,  who  had,  by  forced  marches  from  Thibaw,  managed 
to  reach  Toungoo  for  an  interview  before  we  left.  Mr.  W.  W.  Cochrane,  also  designated  to 
work  among  the  Shans  at  Bhamo,  was  temporarily  located  at  Toungoo.  Dr.  Cushing  has  high 
hopes  for  these  interesting  people,  and  earnestly  pleads  for  young  men  to  occupy  commanding 
points  in  their  territory,  such  as  Mone.  We  heard  also  from  the  lips  of  Dr.  Kirkpatrick  encourag- 
ing accounts  of  the  favor  he  had  found  from  the  authorities  and  people  at  Thibaw,  where  new 
mission-houses  are  building.  Dr.  Kirkpatrick  placed  in  our  hands  an  interesting  souvenir  in  the 
way  of  a  fine  wild  peacock's  tail,  given  him  by  a  Shan,  who,  while  on  his  way  to  present  it  to  a 
Buddhist  priest,  fell  in  with  a  copy  of  the  Gospel  of  John,  distributed  by  our  workers,  and  con- 
cluded that  he  would  make  no  more  gifts  to  the  priests.  He  became  convinced,  after  sitting  up 
most  of  the  night  to  read  the  new  book,  that  it  was  true.  He  accordingly  brought  the  peacock's 
tail  to  our  missionary,  instead  of  to  the  priest. 

At  Pegu,  on  the  arrival  of  the  train,  I  was  met  at  3  o'clock  a.m.  by  Miss  Payne,  taken  in  her 
pony  phaeton,  and  driven  away  to  the  mission  compound,  a  mile  and  a  half  distant.  In  the  morn- 
ing I  was  shown  her  dove  cote  of  a  mission-house,  the  tidy  Burman  chapel,  her  enterprising 
reading-room,  just  at  the  end  of  the  bridge,  on  the  main  thoroughfare  of  the  city,  and  introduced 
to  some  of  the  most  intelligent  Christian  Burmans  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  anywhere.  Her 
thrifty  school  pleased  me  greatly.  This  sister  is  the  sole  missionarv  in  charge  at  this  station. 
According  to  the  testimony  of  the  deputy  commissioner  of  Pegu,  whom  1  met  later  in  the  day 
"  She  is  a  captain  of  every  good  work  in  the  town." 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


CHAFTKR  XV. 

5l7ree  l/eterai^s. 

Rangoon,  December  27. 

AMONG  the  peculiar  satisfactions  wliich  came  to  me  in  my  visit  to  Burma,  were  the  meet- 
ings with  veterans  who  have  been  upon  the  field  over  fifty  years.    These  persons  were 
Rev.  D.  L.  Brayton,  Mrs.  Cephas  Bennett  and  Mrs.  Dr.  E.  A.  Stevens.    They  were 
all  contemporaries  with  Judson  during  the  latter  period  of  his  life,  were  intimately 
associated  with  him,  and  partook  deeply  of  his  spirit. 

I^eu.  D.  l^.  BraytOQ. 

My  interview  with  Father  Brayton  on  the  trip  to  Maulmein,  before  referred  to,  during  two 
full  days,  gave  me  the  most  favorable  opportunity  to  gather  some  of  his  more  striking  reminis- 
cences. The  Braytons  sailed  from  Boston  October  28,  1837,  on  the  bark  "Rosabella,"  a  vessel 
of  300  tons.  Five  months  afterwards  they  arrived  at  Amherst.  The  Stevenses  and  Stillsons 
sailed  at  the  same  time.  Brother  Haswell  met  them  on  arrival.  Soon  after,  Osgood  and  Judson 
came  to  meet  them.  "Judson  had  piercing  eyes,  and  was  a  man  capable  of  severity. 
The  ship  on  which  we  came  brought  the  paper  for  the  first  edition  of  his  Burman  Bible." 
Referring  to  the  frequent  allusions  made  in  letters  from  home  to  the  trials  of  a  missionary's  life, 
Mr.  Brayton  .said  :  — 

"Tell  them  to  talk  not  of  trials;  talk  of  privileges.  Think  of  what  it  is  to  see  the  dark 
countenance  of  a  heathen  light  up  —  a  joy  the  world  knows  nothing  about.  Don't  mention  sacri- 
fices ;  they  are  not  worth  talking  about.  .  .  .  Judson  never  said  a  word  about  .sufferings 
unless  drawn  out,  and  then  he  would  check  and  rebuke  himself.  ...  I  was  associated  with 
Judson  for  thirteen  years." 

Dr.  Brayton's  account  of  his  jungle  tours,  accompanied  by  his  devoted  wife,  and  the  eager- 
ness with  which  the  poor  people  would  cluster  about  their  boat  or  zayat  to  hear  them  explain  the 
good  news  contained  in  the  "White  Book,"  was  most  touching.  Sometimes  a  poor  old  woman 
would  come  and  inquire  "If  there  was  anything  in  the  White  Book  to  cure  the  sorrows  of  the 
heart." 

He  mentioned  one  man  whose  wife  and  family  opposed  his  becoming  a  Christian.  They  had 
prepared  a  feast  to  cheer  up  the  husband  and  father  from  the  melancholy  brought  on  by  his  con- 
viction. At  length,  because  he  would  not  eat  of  the  feast,  his  family  forsook  him,  saying, 
"You'll  not  see  our  faces  again."  "  Very  well,"  said  he,  "I  must  eat  rice  for  myself."  He 
was  baptized,  and  proved  true.    Villages  sent  invitations  to  the  missionaries  to  come  and  explain 


Three  Veterans. 


'35 


to  them  tlic  book,  and  prepared  lodgings  for  them.  They  went,  and  great  salvation  was  wrought. 
"  For  thirty-five  year.s,"  said  the  veteran,  "  our  life  was  filled  uj)  with  such  experiences."  Still, 
the  eagerness  for  the  work  and  joy  in  it  are  unabated. 
The  fire  of  a  war  horse  is  in  him  still,  rising  daily  at  4 
o'clock  in  the  morning  to  toil  upon  his  revision  of  the  Pwo 
Karen  Bible. 

/T\r5.  Beprjett. 

It  was  my  pleasure  to  spend  a  forenoon  in  the  home  of 
Mrs.  Bennett.  Although  in  her  eighty-third  year,  this 
sister  is  yet  so  vigorous  that  she  daily  performs  much 
mission  work.  Her  house  is  constantly  frequented  by  the 
Barman  women  and  girls,  and  by  native  preachers  and  mis- 
sionaries, consulting  her  on  all  sorts  of  matters.  Her 
mental  vigor  is  such  that  she  is  able  to  impart  most  valued 
counsel.  Her  native  wards  are  numerous ;  they  look  to 
"  Mamma  Bennett"  as  to  no  one  else.*  On  Christmas  Day 
she  was  able  to  go  into  the  town  and  attend  a  Christmas-  mks.  dexnett. 

tree  exercise  for  the  children  in  a  Eurasian  school,  enter- 
ing into  it  with  the  zest  of  a  woman  in  middle  life.    In  the  course  of  our  conversations,  I  noted 
down  the  following  items  from  her  fund  of  reminiscences  :  — 

"We  were  appointed  missionaries  of  the  Union  in  1828.  We  left  the  capes  of  the  Delaware 
in  the  brig  'Mary,'  for  Calcutta,  the  8th  of  September,  1830.  .  .  .  My  husband  was  the 
eldest  son  of  Rev.  Alfred  Bennett  of  Homer,  N.  Y.  He  was  a  printer ;  formerly  publisher  of 
the  Baptist  Register,  since  developed  by  Dr.  Edward  Bright  into  the  Examiner.  We  first 
landed  in  Burma  at  Amherst.  Judson  had  taken  up  his  residence  at  Maulmein ;  he  was 
living  with  the  Wades.  The  Boardmans  had  gone  to  Tavoy.  In  going  from  Amherst  to 
Maulmein,  we  were  rowed  the  whole  distance  of  twenty-five  miles  in  an  open  boat.  We 
arrived  at  8  o'clock  in  the  evening.  Judson  was  a  rather  dignified  character,  and  did  not  come 
to  the  landing  to  meet  us,  but  sent  a  Eurasian  to  conduct  us  to  his  house,  who  also  carried  the 
baby.  Arriving  at  the  compound,  we  found  the  missionary  living  in  a  bamboo  house,  with  a 
bamboo  floor,  standing  high  up  on  bamboo  posts.  We  were  made  quite  welcome.  We  had 
brought  out  the  presses  with  us  for  the  printing  of  the  Burman  Bible.  A  month  after  our 
arrival,  Dr.  Judson,  who  was  then  in  his  first  widowhood,  came  and  boarded  with  us  for  three 
years.  This,  of  course,  brought  us  into  very  close  contact  with  him.  He  was  reserved,  very 
methodical  in  his  work,  precise  in  his  attire,  and  particular  about  his  wardrobe.  He  was  very 
fond  of  early  morning  walks,  often  rising  unseasonably  early  and  going  over  the  hilltops,  where 
he  was  exposed  to  the  danger  of  being  seized  by  tigers ;  but  he  was  perfectly  fearless,  and 
hard  to  change  from  his  course.    The  native  church  now  numbered  about  thirty  members  of 


*  This  mother  in  Israel  has  since  passed  away. 


136 


In  BrigJitest  Asia. 


Hurmans  and  Taligns,  who  had  removed  to  Mauhiiein  from  Rangoon  and  Dalla,  to  get  away 
from  persecution.  These  disciples  were  gathered  by  Judson  at  the  mission-house  every  evening 
for  i^rayer  and  instruction.  These  were  times  of  great  rejoicing  in  those  otherwise  dark  days. 
Some  of  the  native  Christians  developed  strongly.  Such  were  Ko  Shwey-ba  and  Ma  Doke. 
Then  we  began  to  live.  Judson  was  then  at  work  upon  his  translation  of  the  Bible.  On  one 
occasion  he  got  me  to  count  the  verses  from  Isaiah  to  Malachi,  that  he  might  know  how  many 
verses  to  translate  per  day  in  order  to  finish  his  work  by  a  given  time.  He  was  very  domestic 
in  his  feelings,  and  particularly  fond  of  children.  He  would  sit  on  the  floor  and  play  with 
them,  caress  their  dolls,  and  sing  lullabies  to  them.  Friends  counselled  him  to  remarry,  but 
he  would  not  hear  a  word  to  it,  so  long  as  his  Bible  was  unfinished.  This  done,  he  went  away 
to  Tavoy  without  saying  a  word  to  any  of  the  missionaries,  and  married  Mrs.  Boardman,  making 
a  confidant  only  of  Mr.  Blundell,  the  British  commissioner ;  brought  his  bride  back  to  Maulmein, 
and  for  a  time  they  both  boarded  with  me." 

The  time  soon  came  when  Mrs.  Bennett's  two  children  were  to  be  sent  home.  The  mother 
sat  in  her  room  weeping  at  the  separation,  when  a  letter  from  Dr.  Judson,  full  of  tenderness  and 
sympathy,  was  put  into  her  hand.  This  ripe  worker,  after  sixty-two  years  of  service  on  Burman 
soil,  was  alive  with  fresh  suggestions  as  to  present-day  needs.  She  had  much  to  say  concerning 
the  character  of  seminary  training  of  our  native  preachers.  She  pleaded  that  our  management 
should  not  continue  to  place  so  great  responsibility  upon  single  women  at  the  head  of  the  largest 
schools,  but  that  we  should  place  a  man  and  his  wife  in  such  positions.  She  seemed  to  have 
clear  apprehensions  of  the  work  going  on,  especially  in  the  Burman  department.  She  would  not 
have  less  work  done  for  the  Karens,  but  far  more  for  the  Burmans.  She  spoke  on  all  these 
themes  with  the  force  and  fervor  of  a  prophetess. 

/T\rs.  Sti^uer^s. 

The  last  of  the  trio  who  have  labored  above  fifty  years  on  Burman  soil  is  Mrs.  Dr.  Stevens. 
Her  home  is  with  her  son-in-law,  Rev.  D.  A.  W.  Smith,  D.D.,  at  Insein,  the  pretty  suburb  of 
Rangoon.  At  this  place,  eight  miles  north  of  Rangoon  on  the  railway,  where  our  seminary  is 
located,  on  what  Dr.  Smith  loves  to  call  "  our  Newton  Hill,"  I  was  privileged  to  spend  two  or 
three  evenings  with  Mrs.  -Stevens,  and  from  her  lips  to  hear  many  incidents  of  the  primitive  days 
in  Burma,  many  of  them  spent  as  were  Mrs.  Bennett's,  associated  with  the  Judsons  in  Maulmein 
and  Rangoon.  It  was  this  dear  sister  to  whose  maternal  care  Edward  Judson,  as  an  infant, 
was  entrusted  when  he  was  left  motherless,  and  to  whose  care  and  nursing,  under  God,  the  pres- 
ervation of  his  life  was  due.  Very  graphic  were  the  touches  given  in  description  of  the  unique 
character  of  Dr.  Judson  —  his  fondness  for  children ;  his  domestic  tastes  ;  his  fine  sense  of  pro- 
priety ;  his  dauntless  courage  and  faith.  The  account  given  of  the  parting  scenes  between  Mrs. 
Emily  C.  Judson  and  her  prostrated  husband,  when  he  was  obliged  to  leave  her  for  his  final  voyage, 
was  very  tender.  Like  Mrs.  Bennett,  Mrs.  Stevens  also  retains  the  most  glowing  interest  in  the 
present-day  work  in  Burma,  and  pleaded  for  its  expansion  with  a  motherly  eloquence.  Her 


Three  Veterans. 


'37 


transparent  and  spiritucllc  old  af^c  is  sometliin^j  truly  beautiful  to  look  upon.  IIa])]:)y  those  who 
can  look  upon  it  while,  like  an  after-glow  of  sunset,  it  lingers  to  warm  and  bless. 

Dr.  Cross  of  Toungoo  has  made  a  record  of  service  in  Burma  almost  as  long  as  fitty  years, 
and  still  bears  abundant  fruit  in  age.  He  came  to  the  field  in  1845:  but  we  have  not  yet  met 
him.  and  cannot  speak  of  personal  interview. 


FACULTV  OF  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY,  INSEXN. 


To  meet  with  these  honored  servants  of  God,  —  the  few  who  remain  of  the  first  generation  of 
our  workers  in  Burma,  —  and  to  hear  from  their  lips  experiences  shared  with  Judson,  was  as  if  the 
Burman  apostle  himself  had  come  back  to  earth  for  a  little  to  remind  us  of  the  realities  of  his  time. 
I  count  it  a  blessing  unspeakable  that  my  visit  to  Burma  was,  in  God's  providence,  so  timed 
that  I  could,  ere  they  depart,  catch  somewhat  of  the  spirit  of  these  living  links  between  the 
founders  of  the  work  and  the  present  generation.    Ere  long  the  last  one  will  have  departed. 


111  Bn'oiitcst  Asia. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

If^dia. 

(^alqutta. 

THE  approach  to  Calcutta  is  a  matter  of  dramatic  interest.    For  many  miles  we  pass  up  the 
Hooi^ly  River,  one  of  the  many  mouths  of  the  Ganges.    The  channel  is  narrow,  and 
rec|uires  skilful  piloting.    Many  a  steamer  has  been  lost  on  the  quicksands,  that  are 
ever  shifting,  and  which  ever  stand  ready  to  engulf  any  vessel  which  is  unfortunate 
enough  to  strike  them.    Once  aground,  a  vessel  is  certain  to  be  swallowed  up.    It  is  a  common 


OF  CALti  rT.\. 

thing  to  see  hulks  and  masts  projecting  from  the  surface  of  the  water,  in  the  process  of  being 
completely  submerged. 

At  intervals  all  along  the  banks,  we  see  throngs  of  Hindus  bathing  in  the  sacred  waters. 
They  seem  to  have  great  camps,  with  multitudes  of  booths  erected  for  the  reception  of  the  pil- 


India. 


139 


grims.  Manv  novel  cxliihitions  and  aniuscnicnls  arc  l)cinL;  carried  on  in  connection  with  tlieir 
superstitious  t'estivilies.  Clad  in  pure  while,  they  look  like  armies  of  <;liosts,  especially  in  the 
twilight. 

Nearing  the  great  metropolis  of  India,  we  begin  to  see  the  palaces  of  native  princes,  as  well  as 
of  retired  East  Indian  merchants,  government  officers,  etc.  Upon  the  picturesque  palm-lined 
banks,  as  we  steam  up  the  river  to  our  landing  near  old  Fort  William,  we  are  impressed  with 
the  vast  amount  of  shi])ping.  The  steamers  lying  at  the  wharves  four  or  five  abreast,  with  all  sorts 
of  craft  for  miles  filling  the  stream, — as  we  have  seen  them  at  other  great  Eastern  ports,  as 
Yokohama,  Shanghai,  Hongkong,  Singapore  and  Rangoon,  —  now  impress  us  afresh  that  the 
shipping  of  the  world  is  to  be  seen  in  the  Eastern  Hemisphere.  Here  all  nations,  except  the 
United  States,  are  largely  represented.  The  morning  our  vessel  rode  into  the  harbor  at  Hong- 
kong, we  counted  twenty-seven  steamships  of  vast  tonnage,  representing  half  a  score  of  nations. 
There  were  steamers  of  the  French  line.  North  German  Lloyd  line,  half  a  dozen  British  lines, 
Italian,  Scandinavian  and  Austrian  lines,  and  011c  floating  the  United  States  flag.  Arriving  at 
Calcutta,  we  see  similar  fleets. 

Europeai7iz(5d  Ii^dia. 

In  the  days  that  followed  our  arrival,  while  visiting  the  splendid  suburbs  at  Barrackpore,  fifteen 
miles  above  the  city,  and  others,  filled  with  villas  of  the  most  costly  character,  studding  large 
velvety  green  swards,  ensconced  beneath  great  spreading  banyans, —  places  in  which  the  European 
elite  of  this  part  of  India  have 
their  residences,  where  traders 
and  merchant  princes  and  queens 
of  fashion  are  serving  Mammon  to 
the  full,  —  we  felt  sure  that  the 
church  had  arrived  tardily  on  the 
spot  to  follow  up  with  the  gospel 
the  manif  )ld  forms  of  Western 
influence  of  another  kind.  The 
truth  is  that  India,  as  well  as 
other  great  parts  of  the  East,  has 
become  immensely  Europeanizecl. 
If  you  take  a  train  from  Calcutta 
and  pass  southwestward  through 
Benares,  Allahabad  and  Agra  to 
Bombay,  along  the  great  railway 
over  one  of  the  great  trunk  lines, 
now  extending  for  18,000  miles 
through  various  parts  of  the  vast 

DAKJEii LIXG,  I\  THE  11E\E\LAV.-IS. 


140 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


peninsula,  passing  through  stations  of  the  most  solid  and  stately  character,  every  mile  of  this 
railway  parallelled  by  telegraph  lines,  with  the  best  of  service,  you  will  be  amazed  at  the  progress 
which  civilization  is  making  in  this  great  heathen  land. 

These  stations  are  manned  by  "  babus,"  as  they  are  called,  —  educated  natives,  some  of  them 
Eurasians.    They  manipulate  the  telegraph  instruments,  they  keep  the  books,  sell  the  tickets, 

man   the   capital  restaurants,  often 
z£^^^     -  conduct  the  trains,  etc.    There  are 

gss-.^.   ^g^^hw^  5,000,000  of  these  English-speaking 

^Ta^-     ^^^jBgyjg"  natives  in  India  to-day.    Bombay  has 

one  of  the  most  elaborate  and  costly 
railway  stations  in  the  world.  Look- 
ing at  these  marks  of  Occidental 
enterprise  which  have  filled  the  East, 
the  traveller  w'ill  be  forced  to  say  that 
whether  or  not  missionaries  go  to 
follow  up  these  strides  of  civilization 
with  their  divine  work,  all  the  rest  of 
the  world  has  made  up  its  mind  in 
^  some  representative  way  to  go  East. 
SfS  Why  should  even  a  young  lady 
y  missionary,  to  say  nothing  of  men, 
-  3;  with  the  Bible  in  her  heart,  who  has 
left  friends  and  home  to  go  abroad, 
carrying  the  possibilities  of  moral 
renovation  to  great  peoples,  be  thought 
a  fanatic,  when,  upon  the  decks  of 
the  same  steamer,  say  of  the  Pen- 
insular and  Oriental  Line  which  she 
may  board  from  London  to  Bombay, 
she  will  find  a  hundred  of  the  most  elegant  ladies  of  English  fashionable  circles,  promenading 
those  decks,  rustling  with  silks  and  glittering  with  jewels,  upon  the  arms  of  army  officers  and 
merchant  princes,  who  seem  to  find  it  no  special  privation,  even  for  worldly  purposes,  to  make 
their  abodes  in  the  tropics  ? 

Our  time  in  Calcutta  was  too  limited  for  any  detailed  inquiries  into  particular  features  of  local 
mission  work.  We  visited  the  old  Lai  Bazaar  Chapel,  where  Carey  preached  and  Judson  was 
baptized.  We  met  Dr.  Pentecost,  and  Rev.  William  Haslam  of  England,  who  are  in  the  midst 
of  special  services,  attended  with  some  signs  of  the  Lord's  blessing.  There  seemed  to  be  con- 
siderable stirring  up  on  the  part  of  European  Christians,  and  there  was  evidently  converting 
power  attending  the  meetings  held  for  considerable  companies  of  Bengali  young  men.  Many 
Brahmins  were  attracted  to  the  meetings. 


SERAMPORE  COLLEGE. 


India. 


141 


5era/npor^. 

It  was  an  intercstinn;  morninn;  which  we  were  permitted  to  s]5cn(l  in  visiting  this  early  fountain 
head  of  missionary  intluence  and  power  in  India.  We  took  in  tiie  old  missicjnary  college,  a  superb 
and  vast  edifice,  containing;  a  fine  library  and  numerous  relics  suggestive  of  the  great  triumvirate 
who  founded  the  institution.  The  original  intention 
respecting  this  college  was  never  carried  out,  owing  to 
the  large  attention  given  by  government  to  education 
in  general,  and  perhaps  because  the  Lord's  blessing  did 
not  so  signally  attend  movements  largely  educational. 
Our  English  brethren  are  still  carrying  on  work  here 
and  training  a  few  preachers,  although  the  principal 
school  work  now  conducted  in  the  immense  building  is 
of  a  primary  character. 

At  the  side  of  the  college  is  still  standing  the 
house  in  which  Carey  spent  his  last  years.  We  were 
shown  to  the  room   in   which   he  died.  Beautiful 

gardens  lie  in  the  rear  of  the  group  of  buildings.         house  ix  which  carev  died. 
Passing  out  through  the  campus  in  front  of  the  college 

building,  we  stood  upon  the  historic  landing  ghauts  on  the  Ganges.  Up  these  steps  Carey, 
Rlarshman  and  Ward  passed.  Boardman,  Ann  Hasseltine  Judson  and  Harriet  Newell  also  trod 
these  sacred  stones ;  hundreds  of  missionary  workers  have  here  landed,  receiving  welcome  from 
those  who,  under  God's  hand,  made  it  possible  to  undertake  great  things  for  God,  first  in  India, 
and  from  thence  planting  themselves  in  regions  beyond. 

Up  the  stream  a  few  yards,  we  walked  under  the  shade  of  a  line  of  immense  mahogany  trees 

which  were  planted  by  Carey's  own  hands.    We  passed  the 

(  '-J.;-   —  building  which  was  originally  the  printing-house.    We  went 

to  the  cemetery,  a  little  north  of  the  town  in  a  retired  spot, 
which  contains  an  acre  of  ground  enclosed  by  a  good  brick 
wall,  and  found  the  tombs  of  Carey,  Marshman  and  Ward. 
The  tomb  for  Carey  is  a  plain  cenotaph,  built  many  years  ago, 
bearing  inscriptions  for  himself  and  his  wife.  On  one  surface 
is  inscribed  "William  Carey,  born  17th  of  August,  1761,  died 
9th  of  June,  1834,"  and  also  the  stanza, 

"A  wretched,  poor  and  helpless  worm, 

On  Thy  kind  arms  I  fall; 
Be  Thou  my  strength  and  righteousness, 
My  Saviour  and  my  all." 

The  tombs  for  Marshman  and  Ward  are  also  imposing  and 
impressive,  though  of  different  form. 

TOMB  OF  CAREV. 


142 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Oar  P55am  /T^issioi). 

January  22. 

ASSAM  used  to  be,  even  from  Calcutta,  a  far-distant  province.    When  Messrs.  Cutter  and 
Brown,  our  first  missionaries,  went  to  Sadiya,  the  journey  up  the  Brahmapootra  without 
steam  consumed  five  long  months.    Taking  the  mail  route  from  Calcutta,  mostly  by 
rail,  via  Dhubri,  and  thence  by  steamer  up  the  great  river,  we  reached  Gauhati  in  less 
than  three  days.    Of  course  this  was  far  short  of  Sadiya,  which  is  350  miles  farther ;  but  it  was 
sufficient  to  take  us  into  the  midst  of  our  Assam  field,  and  was  a  convenient  place  of  rendezvous 
for  several  of  our  missionaries  to  come  in  to  meet  us. 

We  find  Assam  by  no  means  inaccessible  nor  out  of  the  way  in  this  day,  even  if  it  once  was. 
It  is  a  great  and  rich  province  of  the  Indian  empire,  picturesque  and  beautiful  to  the  eye,  espe- 
cially in  its  upper  portions,  and  through  its  twofold  channels  of  approach,  viz.,  the  railway  and 
the  daily  steamship  service,  within  easier  reach  from  the  seaboard  than  Upper  Burma.  Three 
great  districts  of  the  Assam  field  were  impressed  strongly  upon  us  from  this  visit;  viz.,  the  Garo 
district,  the  great  plains  on  both  sides  of  the  river  for  hundreds  of  miles,  and  the  Naga  Hills 
region,  various  subdivisions  of  the  numerous  and  accessible  people  of  Assam. 


These  interesting  people  might  be  called  the  Karens  of  Assam.  They  occupy  a  large  moun- 
tainous district  in  the  hills  south  of  the  Brahmapootra  River,  and  number  not  less  than  130,000. 
They  are  a  wild  {leople,  are  not  Hinduized,  nor  strictly  speaking  idolaters.  Like  the  Karens,  they 
are  rather  demon  propitiators.  They  sacrifice  to  these  spirits,  sometimes  even  human  lives,  to 
avert  dreadful  calamities.    So  wild  are  these  people  in  their  mountain  villages,  that  when  our 

missionaries  first  visit  them,  they  flee  the 
tow-n  from  fear,  and  hide  in  the  forests. 
When  won  and  drawn  out  by  the  gentle 
suasions  of  love,  and  taught,  they  prove 
manly,  frank,  and  vigorous  in  all  noble 
qualities,  and  far  more  reliable  and  trust- 
worthy than  the  more  civilized  and  long- 
perverted  Hindu  of  the  cities  and  plains. 

Our  two  missionaries,  Mason  and  Phil- 
lips, who  have  been  laboring  among  these 
people  for  some  fifteen  years  from  their 
mountain  centre  in  Tura,  established  by 

.MAIL  CARRIER  IN'  ASSAM. 


Our  Assam  Missivii. 


thcni  in  the  \cry  lU-ptlis  nt"  the  iun.!;le,  have  wrought  with  rare  si<ill  and  success,  :il)ly  seconded  by 
consecrated  women. 

These  brethren  liold  annually  a  sort  of  institute  for  ISihic  study  among  the  preachers  and 
teachers,  for  some  weeks  preceding  the  association,  at  the  jilace  where  the  association  is 
to  be  held  for  that  year.  This  year  the  place  was  Agia,  ten  miles  back  from  the  river-landing, 
Goali)ara. 

On  the  second  morning  after  our  departure  from  Calcutta,  Hrother  ( Gordon  and  I  ste]3ped 
ashore  at  Cioalpara,  meeting  Hrother  IMason,  who  had  come  in  with  a  delegation  of  brethren, 
coolies,  ponies,  etc.,  to  take  us  out  to  Agia.  A  company  of  perhaps  a  dozen  Ciaro  Christians 
were  waiting  near  our  ponies  upon  the  sands  to  greet  us.  We  had  gone  ahead  of  Brother  Mason, 
and  all  at  once  we  found  ourselves  among  this  strangely  expectant  group.  Their  faces  broke  into 
sunshine  as  we  scanned  them,  and  in  an  instant  we  exclaimed  with  delight,  "  Oh  !  these  are  (iaro 
Christians  come  to  meet  us  !"  "Yes,"  said  Bago,  one  of  the  faithful  old  pastors,  in  half-Eng- 
lish, as  they  took  our  luggage.  We  needed  no  introduction.  Before  Brother  Mason  could  over- 
take us,  we  had  shaken  hands  with  every  one  of  the  disciples,  and  answered  their  inarticulate 
welcome  and  fellowship  with  our  eyes  and  hands  and  hearts.  "  Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds."  We 
sang  it  together  afterwards,  but  we  experienced  it  even  as  deeply  in  that  first  glance  we  gave  each 
other  there  on  the  sands  at  Goalpara. 

In  Goalpara  itself,  where  Brother  Stoddard  and  also  Brother  Keith  formerly  labored,  we  have 
no  occupant  nor  even  mission  premises  just  now.  Vital  influences  once  exerted  there  have, 
however,  penetrated  far  inland,  and  are  far  from  extinct. 

Taking  the  government  road,  our  party  was  soon  on  the  march  to  Agia.  Through  the  forest 
road  for  several  miles,  then  along  a  bridle-path  through  wild  jungle-grass,  across  a  stream  or  two 
descending  from  the  hills,  which  now  began  to  loom  up  at  our  left  as  we  advanced,  and  then 
across  well-tilled  rice-fields,  and  past  little  fenced  patches  of  mustard  and  sugar-cane,  indicating 
thrift  and  care,  we  made  our  way  to  the  village. 

The  villagers  were  on  tip-toe  of  expectation.  The  training-class  thronged  at  the  chapel  door, 
as  we  alighted.  Two  ruddy  American  missionary  girls,  Misses  Mason  and  Bond,  issued  from  the 
thatched  and  reeded  mud-plastered  bungalow,  bidding  us  welcome,  and  announcing  "tiffin" 
to  be  ready  for  the  refreshment  of  our  inner  man.  We  were  soon  at  home  in  Agia.  We 
almost  fancied  ourselves  again  at  the  Karen  Association  in  Burma.  So  pleased  are  these  simple 
believers  to  receive  us  to  their  village.  What  to  them  was  the  Missionary  Union  was  verily 
domiciled  among  them. 

But  what  shall  I  say  of  the  meeting  of  the  day  which  followed?  It  was  no  gotten-up  affair  to 
show  off  the  natives  at  their  best.  First  was  held  a  simple  church  meeting  of  the  villagers  to 
hear  reports  from  committees  on  delinquents  and  to  receive  candidates  for  baptism,  prior  to  the 
report  to  be  made  to  the  association.  A  prayer  and  conference  meeting  followed,  growing  out 
of  my  address  to  them,  respecting  new  consecration  for  the  evangelization  of  the  whole  Garo 
highlands. 

So  wisely  have  the  missionaries  worked  in  the  training  of  this  church  that,  under  lead  of  its 
licentiate  pastor,  it  ably  conducted  the  whole  affair.    We  were  surprised  at  the  parliamentary 


144 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


ortlcr  with  whicli  eacli  step  of  business  was  conducted  ;  each  man  who  liad  a  report  to  make 
or  a  remark  to  ofter,  rising  and  addressiuir  the  moderator,  <rivintr  in  liis  word,  then  gatherin? 
his  blanket  about  him  again,  and  squatting  on  his  mat  in  the  most  orderly  way.  The  church 
clerk  was,  alas!  a  leper,  but  a  highly  worthy  man.  Three  mcmhcrs,  for  immorality,  were  upon 
evidence  excluded.  Several  candidates  for  baptism  were  received.  The  examination  was  more 
exacting  and  detailed  by  far  than  is  common  in  home  churches,  and  all  open  as  daylight.  One 
young  woman  who  applied  was  declined  after  close  examination,  it  being  the  conviction  of  some 
that,  though  they  hoped  she  was  changed,  they  thought  she  should  make  further  proof  of  the 
fact.  The  pastor  tenderly  explained  to  her  its  significance,  bade  her  be  of  good  cheer,  and  come 
again  at  a  later  time.  She  looked  sad,  but  the  church  was  unanimous  and  firm.  A  youth  pre- 
sented himself,  his  father  dead,  his  mother  a  heathen  and  opposed  to  his  step ;  but  he 
wanted  to  be  saved,  to  go  with  the  church,  and  he  loved  and  trusted  in  Christ.  He  was  asked 
if  he  was  prepared  to  bear  a  part  in  church  expenses.  He  replied  that  he  had  but  little  money, 
but  he  was  willing  to  work  for  more.  He  was  received,  and  he  will  surely  be  called  on  for  his 
subscription.  A  middle-aged  raw  heathen,  who  had  seen  hard  service  in  Satan's  ways,  applied, 
with  complete  confession  and  openness  of  heart.  He  was  welcomed.  And  so  it  went  on  for  an 
hour  or  more. 

At  this  juncture  we  were  introduced,  and  spoke  to  them  on  what  the  power  of  the  gospel 
produces  in  the  believer.  Following  the  address  came  a  prayer  ;  then  the  Garo  brethren  opened 
their  hearts  to  us,  giving  testimony  of  what  the  gospel  had  done  for  them. 

One  old  man  gave  way  to  sobs,  closing  with  a  most  touching  prayer  as  he  lay  prone  upon  his 
face  on  the  ground.  One  spoke  of  his  "gratitude  for  what  God  has  done  for  his  people." 
Another  said,  "I  am  very  glad  to  see  these  representatives  of  our  society.  We  were  lost  in 
our  sins,  but  the  society's  people  have  come  here  and  helped  us.  We  have  been  all  these  years 
worshipping  demons,  but  the  missionaries  came  and  taught  us,  and  now  we  are  very  happy." 
His  son  had  been  lately  sick  with  an  illness  which  swept  the  village,  but  God  had  heard  prayer. 
His  "  family  was  as  a  tree  that  had  fallen,  but  is  now  sprouted  up  again."  Another  said,  "I 
knew  I  was  a  sinner  before  the  missionaries  came.  Until  I  heard  of  Christ,  I  knew  not  where 
relief  was  to  come  from.  Since  seeing  you  to-day,  I  appreciate  more  than  ever  the  love  of  the 
American  Christians."  A  half-dozen  younger  men  spoke  in  declaration  of  willingness  to  devote 
themselves  with  a  whole  heart  to  evangelizing  this  people. 

Thus  the  meeting  proceeded  with  a  tenderness  and  pathos  that  assured  us  all  that  the  Spirit 
of  God  was  owning  and  attesting  the  utterances.  Twelve  years  ago,  when  the  missionaries 
first  visited  this  village,  the  entire  population  ran  from  them  like  partridges  to  the  woods. 
To-day  there  is  a  church  here  of  260  members.  In  a  fortnight  they  will  entertain  an  associa- 
tion with  600  delegates  in  attendance,  representing  a  Garo  membership  of  about  1,200.  Are 
missions  like  these  a  failure  ? 

It  pays,  moreover,  to  second  such  efforts  as  the  Tura  brethren  are  making  to  introduce  the 
elements  of  industrial  enterprise  among  such  converts.  Right  thankful  am  I  that  the  committee 
has  sent  out  to  these  people  an  industrial  missionary  (likewise  an  ordained  man)  in  Mr.  Dring, 
i.  ho  has  lately  arrived. 


Our  Assam  Mission. 


Jf7<^  Plair>5  people. 


From  Agia  we  all  went  together  to  (iauhati  for  a  conference.  Several  additional  missiona- 
ries from  the  various  stations  in  the  upper  country  met  us  here.  The  Moore  Brothers,  together 
with  Miss  Laura  Amy,  a  former  cherished  parishioner  of  mine  in  Minneapolis,  just  out  from  home, 
bringing  to  me  letters  and  mementos 
of  the  dear  ones  in  the  family  nest, 
journeyed  from  Nowgong,  eighty 
miles,  in  an  ox  cart,  to  meet  us. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark,  also  from  an 
old  charge  of  mine  in  Indianapolis, 
came  down  from  Molung.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Burdette  cordially  entertained 
us  all  in  the  mission-houses  formerly 
occupied  by  the  Bronsons  and 
Barkers.  Mrs.  Bronson  also  went 
out  to  Assam  from  the  church  of 
my  first  charge  at  Rockford,  111. 

On  the  Goalpara  hillside  a 
couple  of  days  before,  we  had 
visited  the  spot  where  sleeps,  in  the 
English  cemetery.  Miss  Marie  Bron- 
son, whom  I  once  knew  in  Chicago. 
Two  days  after,  while  passing  down 
the  river,  we  met  a  Mrs.  Harrison 
from  Shillong,  an  English  lady,  in 

whose  arms  Miss  Bronson,  battling  with  cholera,  had  died  in  1875,  O'^  board  a  river  steamer. 
How  near  to  our  hearts  personnel oi  the  Assam  Mission,  past  and  present,  brings  us !  It  seems 
like  part  of  our  own  parish,  and  such  it  is. 

If  on  the  day  that  we  rode  up  from  the  landing  to  the  Burdette  mission-house,  there  had 
been  no  old  and  dear  friends  waiting  on  the  veranda  to  greet  us,  as  there  were,  the  cordial 
welcome  of  the  native  church,  expressed  in  the  decorated  roadway  of  the  mission,  hung  with 
banners  of  welcome,  with  flowers  and  even  lamps  for  an  evening  illumination,  would  have  made 
us  feel  instantly  "  at  home." 

Much  work  was  bestowed  by  the  early  missionaries  in  Assam,  as  Bronson,  Barker,  Tolman, 
Scott  and  others,  upon  the  plains  people,  who  dwell  upon  both  banks  of  the  river  along  the  whole 
district  from  Dhubri  to  Sibsagor.  Here  dwell  the  Assamese  proper.  They  are  semi-Hinduized, 
and  less  susceptible  to  the  gospel  than  the  hills  people.  The  apparent  fruits  of  the  valley  have 
been  rather  disappointing  on  the  whole.  Much,  however,  must  be  attributed  to  the  frequent 
failure  in  health  of  the  laborers,  or  their  death,  and  to  the  lamentable  lack  of  men  to  take  the 
places  of  the  fallen.    There  has  not  been  preserved  such  a  continuity  of  work  as  to  bring  to  large 


NOWGONG  M I  ss I  o  X - 1 1  o r  s  y: . 


146 


In  Jh-ightest  Asia. 


fruition  the  labors  bestowed.  As  a  consequence,  it  is  not  strange  that  native  churches,  often  left 
for  years  together  without  proper  oversight  and  instruction,  should  wane  and  almost  die  out. 
While  the  husbandmen  have  slept,  the  enemy  has  sown  tares,  and  there  have  been  sad  defections 
in  such  churches  as  those  at  Gauhati  and  Nowgong,  where  we  once  had  strong  bases  of  operation. 
The  later  missionaries  have  had  trying  and  painful  duties  in  disciplining  the  wayward  and  purg- 
ing out  the  leaven  of  evil.  These  same  brethren,  however,  have  had  encouragements  in  their 
work,  particularly  as  they  have  worked  outward  in  surrounding  villages. 

Among  these  millions  of  people  who  throng  the  lowlands,  there  are  no  representatives  of  the 
gospel  except  ourselves ;  and  there  can  be  no  question  but  a  real  and  continuous  and  forceful 
occupancy  of  the  river  towns  and  adjacent  districts  would  in  the  end  prove  very  fruitful.  We 
cannot  without  great  infidelity  abandon  the  work  undertaken.  Besides,  if  we  should  give  up  the 
plains,  we  cut  away  our  base  of  supplies  for  the  highly  promising  work  of  the  hills,  and  invite 
Romanists  and  ritualists  to  come  and  build  on  the  old  foundations  we  have  painfully  laid. 


Our  interview  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark,  who  came  down  from  Molung  to  meet  us,  opened  up 
to  us  the  various  peoples  of  the  Naga  race,  and  the  fine  promise  which  these  people,  bordering  on 
the  northwest  of  Burma,  afford  to  gospel  effort.  Among  these  hill  peoples,  doubtless  also  allied 
to  the  Karens,  we  count  four  great  tribes  of  Nagas,  the  Mishmis  and  Singphos,  all  allied  to  the 
Kachins.  These  peoples  are  all  accessible,  and  they  have  repeatedly  sent  delegations  to  our 
missionaries  requesting  teachers.  If  the  Union  were  able  to  send  several  new  families  to  enter  in 
among  these  hopeful,  hungering  people,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  a  work,  in  every  element  the 
counterpart  of  our  Burman  work  among  the  Karens,  could  soon  be  developed.  We  are  entering 
in  among  the  Kachins,  assisted  by  the  Karens  from  Bhamo.  Could  we  now  also  begin  work  from 
these  adjacent  tribes  behind  the  Kachins,  working  back  from  the  Brahmapootra  on  the  one  side, 
and  from  the  Irrawaddy  on  the  other,  we  might  fairly  join  the  work  in  Assam  and  Burma,  thus 
strengthening  both. 

^  me^tlQ.^  u;itl7  tl?e  Bral?mo  5ort\aj.  j^^^^^^ 

Last  night  we  had  a  most  interesting  meeting  with  a  society  of  the  Brahmo  .Somaj,  the  Uni- 
tarians of  India.  Observing  a  fine  little  chapel  on  one  side  of  the  town  with  a  pleasant  garden, 
we  ventured  in  just  at  sunset,  and  found  a  half-dozen  bright  and  intelligent  Hindus.  They  seemed 
inclined  to  converse,  and  pleased  that  we  called  in.  They  explained  that  it  was  their  anniver- 
sary day ;  that  they  were  to  have  a  meeting  an  hour  later,  and  invited  us  to  attend,  though  the 
exercises  would  be  in  Bengali.    These,  however,  spoke  English. 

After  dinner  we  returned.  It  was  a  queer  service.  They  played  much  on  Hindu  instruments, 
chanting  a  weird  sort  of  psalm  or  sentimental  ode  on  "  Wake,  O  Sluggish  Mind,"  etc. ;  then  for 
a  half-hour  they  prayed,  one  after  another,  to  the  "  One  Spiritual  God,"  in  whom  they  professed 
to  believe. 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


When  we  went  away,  a  lialf-dozen  of  tliem  followed  us,  evidently  desiring  to  know  what 
we  thought  of  the  service,  and  thanked  us  for  attending.  I  then  addressed  them  as  tenderly 
as  I  knew  how,  for  I  had  hoped  to  get  a  chance  to  preach  to  them.  I  commended  them  for 
abandoning  idolatry,  but  urged  that  they  needed  to  come  further — to  Christ,  in  fact,  and  to  the 
Bible.  One  of  them  desired  to  argue.  Him  I  avoided  ;  another  one  seemed  hungry  for  the  truth. 
I  pressed  on  him  and  on  the  others  the  experimental  method  in  testing  Christianity.  One 
seemed  much  moved.  When  I  had  preached  my  little  sermon  on  how  they  might  know  Christ, 
I  prayed  for  tliem,  kneeling  in  the  street,  pleading  earnestly  for  them  then  and  there.  It  was  a 
new  experience,  there  in  the  moonlight  on  the  banks  of  the  Brahmapootra.  I  gave  my  testi- 
mony, at  least,  which  I  hope  will  not  be  lost. 

One  of  them  followed  me  home,  and  we  talked  till  near  midnight.  I  got  him  down  on  his 
knees,  and  it  was  touching  to  hear  him  beg  for  forgiveness  for  his  great  sins,  and  that  God  would 
not  let  him  die  unpardoned ;  but  like  any  American  sinner,  he  shrank  from  accepting  Christ's 
atonement.  This  man  was  the  high-school  teacher;  decidedly  well  informed  respecting  even 
the  Bible  and  Christ.  He  said  as  we  parted,  "You  have  at  least  done  your  part  kindly  for 
me,  and  your  skirts  are  clear."  He  was  an  Assamese.  He  asked  for  a  missionary  to  be  sent  to 
Dhubri.  I  replied,  "  My  dear  fellow,  with  all  the  light  that  you  have  respecting  the  true  God 
and  the  Bible,  you  yourself  ought  to  become  the  missionary;  and  what  is  more,  God  will  hold 
you  responsible  if  you  do  not." 

prom  (^aleutta  to  Bo/r^bay. 

We  left  Calcutta  for  Bombay  by  rail,  making  two  or  three  stops  at  places  full  of  historic 
interest.  The  first  was  at  Benares,  the  great  headquarters  of  Hinduism.  We  shall  never  forget 
the  melancholy  awe  with  w'hich  we  moved  up  and  down  the  river  on  the  boat,  taking  in  the  miles 
of  massive  ruins  of  Mohammedan  and  Hindu  architecture,  which  are  half-buried  in  confusion,  on 
lofty  terraces  for  hundreds  of  feet  high  overlooking  the  majestic  river.  The  thousands  of  bathers 
in  the  sacred  waters  ;  the  poor  mourners  who  stood  wailing  upon  the  terraces,  looking  down  upon 
the  funeral  pyres,  where  the  bodies  of  their  dead  were  being  reduced  to  ashes,  were  something 
sad  beyond  description.  The  sombre  figures  of  the  various  fakirs,  sitting  in  ashes  amid  some  old 
ruin,  leaning  upon  a  staff,  or  hanging  by  ropes  to  support  bodies  which  were  said  not  to  have 
sat  for  sixty  years,  with  long  masses  of  hair,  matted  with  mud  and  filth,  streaming  down  their 
shoulders,  looking  out  of  eyes  that  were  strange  and  inhuman,  made  a  scene  of  tragic  impressive- 
ness.  The  filth  and  uncleanness  were  unspeakable.  We  were  glad  to  get  away  from  the  horrors 
of  the  place.  The  "  Light  of  Asia"  is  said  to  have  emanated  from  near  this  spot.  Indeed,  five 
miles  out  from  Benares,  we  visited  some  old  ruins  of  a  monastery  where  Siddhartha  Gautama  is 
said  to  have  begun  his  preaching.  The  whole  region  is  a  sorry  comment  on  anything  professing 
to  have  light  in  it.  It  is  the  best  sample  of  the  blackness  of  darkness  in  the  earthly  condition  of 
a  people  which  my  eyes  have  ever  looked  upon. 

We  spent  a  day  at  Cawnpore,  where  are  the  memorials  of  the  Sepoy  Rebellion,  and  heard 
from  those  who  were  eye  witnesses  of  those  distressing  times  details  of  the  cruelties  of  Indian 


Our  Assam  AIissio?t. 


treaclu'ry  and  tlic  sutTcrini^s  of  iunot  ciit  wnmen  and  children,  wlio  were  .slau<^IUcrcd  by  hundreds, 
and  some  buried  alive. 

We  went  to  Agra  and  saw  the  pictures(|ue  fort,  the  Pearl  Moscjue,  and  the  many  symijols 
of  mogul  dynasties  now  gone  forever.  Of  course  we  saw  the  Taj  Mahal,  the  most  peerless  tomb 
in  the  world,  a  dream  of  loveliness,  a  poem  in  marble.  It  has  been  described  a  hundred  times  — 
it  has  never  been  described  ;  it  can  only  be  felt.  liy  moonlight  especially,  it  is  like  a  house  not 
made  with  hands.  Of  all  expressions  of  human  love  tiiat  ever  embodied  itself  in  architecture, 
this  is  supreme.    From  Agra  we  came  on  to  Bombay,  a  long,  hot  ride. 

Bo/T\bay. 

Calcutta,  Madras,  Bombay  !  These  are  the  three  great  commercial  cities  of  India.  In  many 
respects  Bombay  is  the  most  impressive  of  the  three.  It  contains  extraordinary  specimens  of 
classic  English  architecture  —  such  buildings  as  the  High  Court,  the  Cathedral,  the  Cathedral 
school,  the  various  government  buildings,  hotels,  railway  stations,  colleges,  etc. 

What  Glasgow  is  to  Great  Britain,  that  Bombay  is  to  India  —  a  great  port,  a  vast  merchan- 
dizing emporium,  a  solidly  built,  modernized,  tumultuous  city.  Traders,  merchantmen  and  all 
sorts  of  skilful  artificers  are  here — Hindu,  Mohammedan,  Parsee,  Arab,  Kashmir,  African  and 
European.  It  has  the  rush  of  Chicago,  the  fashion  of  Paris,  and  the  cosmopolitanism  of  London. 
Passing  through  great  portions  of  it,  you  would  scarcely  think  yourself  to  be  in  Asia.  It  is  half 
occidental,  half  oriental.  The  crescent-shaped  bay  on  which  it  stands,  embossed  with  islands, 
with  here  and  there  rocky  coasts,  lends  a  Neapolitan  beauty  to  the  situation. 

A  drive  around  the  beach  on  the  chief  boulevard  at  sunset  gives  you  a  view  of  the  world's 
fashion  altogether  unique,  because  it  is  so  composite.  What  varieties  of  headgear  and  costume 
and  vehicle,  in  colors  as  manifold  as  those  of  the  dying  dolphin  !  Apart  from  the  vigorous  work 
here  prosecuted  by  the  Salvation  Army  under  Mr.  Ballington  Booth,  we  saw  but  little  of  mission 
work.    Bombay  has  extensive  and  successful  missions,  but  limits  of  time  forbade  our  exploration. 

The  Parsees,  or  fire-worshippers,  are  numerous  in  Bombay.  In  externals  they  impressed  us  as 
an  attractive  people ;  intelligent,  keen-eyed,  genteel,  philosophic,  even  poetical.  We  visited 
their  strange  depository  for  the  dead,  —  the  far-famed  "  Towers  of  Silence,"  as  they  are  called. 
These  are  simply  great  cylindrical  towers  of  stone  masonry,  standing  in  a  high,  rocky  garden  of 
surpassing  beauty  in  the  outskirts  of  the  city.  In  these  towers  the  Parsees  place  their  dead, 
exposed  without  coffins,  and  within  a  couple  of  hours  all  the  flesh  is  picked  from  the  bones  of  the 
dead  by  flocks  of  vultures  kept  for  the  purpose.  The  sun  then  bleaches  the  bones  to  decomposi- 
tion. Such  are  the  notions  of  a  people  who,  knowing  not  "Jesus  and  the  resurrection,"  have 
fallen  into  this  strange  treatment  of  their  dead. 


/;/  Brfo/ttcst  Asia. 


ci!Ai''ri':R  will. 


O9        5elu§u  pi^ld. 


V 


5f?e  Deeear). 

E  approached  this  field  by  rail  from  the  Bombay  side.  From  Calcutta  around  to 
Madras  is  a  long  and  tedious  journey,  consuming,  if  unbroken,  four  days  and  nights. 
At  Wadi,  about  two  thirds  of  the  way  from  Bombay  to  Madras,  we  were  met  by  sev- 
eral of  our  missionaries  in  "  the  Deccan,"  so  called,  or  the  Nizam's  dominions ;  and 


there  we  were  detained  for  a 
day  of  conference  respecting  the 
work  in  this  particular  district. 
In  certain  respects  this  field  is 
distinct  from  the  old  original 
Telugu  field.  Here  in  the  centre 
of  India  is  a  native  independent 
empire,  under  the  rule  of  the 
Nizam,  with  Hyderabad  for  its 
capital.  It  is  the  strongest 
Mohammedan  centre  in  India. 
Nevertheless,  in  the  midst  of 
this  dominion  our  workers, 
pioneered  by  Brother  Campbell, 
who  is  now  resting  in  America, 
have  effected  a  vigorous  entrance , 
and  great  blessing  has  attended 
the  work. 

We  have  established  stations 
at  Secunderabad,  Palmur,  Hana- 
maconda  and-  Nalgonda,  in  all 
of  which  fruit  from  among  the 
Telugu  people  has  been 
gathered.  The  missionaries 
working  here  are  Brother 
Maplesden  and  wife,  at  Secun- 
derabad ;  Brother  Chute, wife  and 
sister,  at  Palmur,  and  Brother 
Friesen  and  wife,  at  Nalgonda. 


NIZAM'S  PALACE,  HYDERABAD. 


On  the  l^-ln^it  I'icid. 


where  we  luive  ;i  good  mission-house  and  a  cliapcl,  has  been 
"wa\-  car  wliic  li  was  placed  at  our  disposal,  and  sei'ved  for  a 


The  station  at  Ilananiaconda, 
unoccupied  for  two  years. 

Our  conference  was  held  in  a  rail 
chapel  by  day  and  a  lodging-place 
at  night.  To  hear  those  earnest 
brethren  and  sisters  represent,  not 
only  the  needs,  but  also  the  rare 
promise  of  this  great  district,  in 
which  they  so  eagerly  toil,  was 
enough  to  melt  adamant.  To  them 
the  work  is  a  living  joy,  and  they 
wonder  that  other  helpers  do  not 
come  to  share  in  toil  so  exalted 
and  so  rewarding.  Not  all  fields 
by  any  means  are  so  ripe  as  this. 

The  Deccan  missionaries  repre- 
sent that  the  tidings  of  good  things 
and  the  inspiration  arising  from  the 
work  in  the  older  district  about 
Ongole,  have  communicated  them- 
selves to  the  region  where  they  are 
laboring.  The  wave  of  blessing 
seems  to  sweep  northwestward,  and 
believers  into  the  kingdom. 

Other  denominations  not  only  wonder  that  we  are  so  slow  to  follow  up  such  an  advantage,  but 
also  think  us  on  some  fields  so  criminally  negligent, —  as,  for  example,  at  Hanamaconda, — that 

they  regard  our  primacy  there  as  about  forfeited.  They  will 
desist  from  entering  such  fields  no  longer,  but  will  proceed  to  reap 
the  harvest  which  we  are  likely  to  allow  to  fall  back  into  the 
ground. 

W'e  met  on  this  field  Bishop  Thoburn,  than  whom  no  man  in 
India  is  more  zealous  or  influential.  He  seems  to  know  how  to 
obtain  both  men  and  money  to  continually  enlarge  his  work.  His 
efficient  superintendence  of  Methodist  interests  is  phenomenal. 

U/orl^  for  Eurasians. 

My  detention  at  Wadi  and  the  limits  of  my  time  prevented 
me  from  going  to  Madras.  iVIr.  W.  went,  however,  greeting  the 
!  rethren  who  awaited  our  coming,  and  preaching  for  them  on 
ilie  Sabbath.    He  also  brought  away  some  fine  photographs  of 

A  EURASIAN  GIRL. 


DECCAN  MISSIONARIES,  SECUNDERABAD. 


workers  only  are  needed  to  soon  gather  thousands  of 


•5-1 


In  J^rightcst  Asia. 


the  valuable  mission  property  lately  offered  to  our  hoard  by  the  English  Baptists.  The  general 
feeling  is  that  tliis  action  will  prove  a  wise  thing  for  them,  and  in  every  way  advantageous  to  our 
work,  especially  in  the  matter  of  raising  up  from  among  the  East  Indians  or  Eurasians,  workers 
and  assistants  for  our  missionaries. 

What  I  have  observed  on  all  hands  in  India  has  impressed  me  with  the  immense  importance 
of  utilizing  this  Eurasian  element  among  the  Indian  people  for  our  own  sakes,  if  we  would  mani- 
fold our  local  hold  on  communities,  and  for 
their  sakes  also,  and  for  the  sake  of  the  native 
]Dopulations  whose  language  they  speak,  and  to 
whom  they  are  our  best  interpreters.  These 
Eurasians  are  readily  Christianized.  They  are 
permanently  identified  with  Indian  life  and 
well-being,  fully  acclimated,  and  habituated  to 
life  among  Asiatics.  They  are  a  valuable 
go-between,  as  touching  both  Eastern  and 
Western  nations.  Besides,  more  than  likely, 
this  is  providentially  their  divine  mission. 
Bishop  Thoburn  is  giving  primary  and  chief 
attention  to  these  people  as  an  ultimate  means 
of  reaching  the  heathen.  The  Methodists 
are  both  evangelizing  and  educating  the 
Eurasians. 


<^T)fisr<{rje<{  at  J^^eIlore. 

From  Wadi  we  proceeded  directly  to 
Xellore,  where  it  was  arranged  that  a  con- 
ference of  all  the  coast  missionaries  should 
assemble.  Nearly  all  were  present,  a  score  or 
more,  and  for  two  days  we  had  delightful 
intercourse.  Veterans  in  the  work,  —  as'' 
Clough,  Downie  and  Boggs,  —  returned  work- 
Jt'LiA.  ers,  —  as   Drake,  Manley  and  Thomssen, — 

several  sisters,  and  new  recruits,  —  as  Hadley, 
Heinrichs  and  others,  —  were  there.  Records  of  past  achievements  and  anticipations  for  the 
future  were  dwelt  upon. 

Great  concern  filled  the  minds  of  all  as  to  how  existing  and  prospective  vacancies  are  to  be 
filled.  Brethren  fiiinting  from  long  strain,  and  compelled  soon  to  go  home  for  recuperation,  with 
the  added  pain  of  leaving  their  stations  to  vacancy  or  to  eager  proselyters,  constrained  our  deep- 
est sympathy. 


On  t/ic  Tclugn  Pi  eld. 


155 


The  native  church  which  assembled  to  <;ieet  us,  and  hear  our  message,  filled  us  with  great 
interest.  I'reachers,  students  and  Bible-women,  trojjhies  of  Christ's  gospel,  won  our  hearts. 
Characters  like  old  Lydia,  and  Julia,  —  that  modern  prophetess, — and  her  husband,  Kanakiah, 
filled  us  with  thankful  wonder.  The  industrial  school,  under  Dr.  Downie's  fostering  care,  com- 
manded our  admiration.  The  seasons  of  united  ])rayer  we  had  together,  were  perhaps  the  most 
blest  hours  of  all. 

I^amapatam. 

From  Nellore  we  proceeded,  in  company  with  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hoggs  and  Miss  Dr.  Cummings, 
to  Ramapatam.  That  was  a  unique  ride,  in  a  veritable  pull-man  car.  In  Dr.  Downie"s  rocka- 
way  wagon  we  were  wheeled  by  eight  coolies  over  the  forty-five  miles  in  about  ten  hours.  We 
changed  coolies  every  ten  miles. 

Our  stay  at  Ramapatam  was  brief  but  pleasing.  We  found  the  seminary  a  real  beehive  of 
activity.    A  choicer,  sweeter-spirited  man  than  Dr.  Boggs  we  could  not  have  at  the  head  of  that 


BROWNSOX  SEMINARY,  RA.MAP.VT.AM. 


school.  Now,  after  being  long  overworked,  he  is  happily  reinforced  by  his  son.  The  native 
teachers  impressed  us  as  choice  men.  We  looked  with  satisfaction  into  the  kind  of  teacliing, 
biblical  and  other,  that  is  being  done.  We  addressed  the  125  students  assembled  in  the  chapel 
of  Brownson  Hall  on  "  Truth  Experienced  the  Preacher's  Power."    It  was  all  through  an  inter- 


In  Brig  Jit  est  Asia. 


preter,  of  course  ;  but  never  had  we  more  eager  hearing  nor  more  sympathetic  response.  Evi- 
dently these  men  "  know  "  Ckxl  and  "  the  things  which  are  freely  given  unto  us  of  Ciod."  The 
after-speeches  of  the  teachers  "  Daniel,"  "  John  "  and  "  Samuel "  gave  us  added  assurance  of 
soundness,  both  of  head  and  heart,  as  well  as  their  real  apprehension  of  the  message  we  brought 
to  them. 

09($oIe. 

Another  ride,  partly  by  night  in  our  coolie  carriage,  and  we  drew  up  in  the  early  morning 
before  the  mission-house  of  Dr.  Clough,  at  Ongole.  The  missionary  met  us  at  the  door  with  a 
lantern,  and  ushered  us  to  our  chamber  for  a  little  rest. 


ONGOLE  HIGH  SCHOOL. 


In  the  morning  we  were  soon  ready  for  the  round  of  the  half-dozen  or  more  schools  of  which 
the  mission  is  so  justly  proud.  The  various  "palam"  or  hamlet  primaries;  the  intermediates; 
the  wondrously  engaging  caste-girls'  schools,  filled  with  the  petite  bejewelled  little  ladies  from 
high-rank  families  of  the  town;  and  above  all  the  high  school  —  to  our  surprise  quite  a  college  — 
were  visited  one  by  one. 


O/i  the  'J'clugu  Field. 


DK.  J.  E.  CLOUGH. 


We  were  not,  however,  prepared  for  such  recep- 
tions as  we  had ;  for  wreaths  of  mari<;old  to  be 
hung  about  our  necks  by  the  children ;  for  si)ray 
baths  of  rose  water  showered  over  us ;  and  tor 
other  earnests  of  Indian  welcome.  The  kindergarten 
work,  the  lovely  plays  of  the  caste  girls,  would  have 
delighted  Froebel  himself. 

At  the  high  school,  with  its  enthusiastic  head 
master  and  its  200  boys,  a  prepared  address  was  read 
and  presented  to  us.  When  we  began  to  respond,  and 
turned  about  for  our  interpreter,  we  were  told  that  we 
would  be  understood  quite  well  in  English.  This  was 
a  wonder.  We  proceeded  for  twenty  minutes,  and 
point  after  point  was  responded  to  with  cheers.  This 
gave  us  a  new  token,  not  only  that  the  Anglo-Saxon 
tongue  is  conquering  all  other  tongues,  but  also  that 
the  East  Indian  student  is  as  fully  alive  as  his 
Western  brothers.  These  boys  and  hosts  of  others, 
including  Brahmin  gentlemen  of  the  town,  petition 
that  this  school  be  made  a  college.  Can  we  prevent  it  ?  Dare  we  turn  these  inquisitive,  alert 
youths  of  India  over  to  non-Christian  schools  ?  Here  is  a  question  for  the  wisdom  of  the  wisest, 
and  may  the  Most  High  help  us ! 

iQlreruieu;  u/itl^  Bral7/T\iQ$. 

During  our  visit  to  Ongole,  we  were  one  evening  interviewed  by  a  company  of  about  a  dozen 
Hindu  gentlemen  of  the  town,  including  several  Brahmins  and  others  of  high-caste  distinction. 

Some  of  these  men  were  high  officials  of  government,  one  of  them 
being  a  district  munsiff,  or  judge,  another  a  sub-registrar,  etc. 
Their  object  in  obtaining  the  interview  was  threefold;  viz.,  to 
express  their  welcome  to  an  official  of  the  American  Baptist  Mis- 
sionary Union  ;  to  commend  to  him,  in  the  strongest  terms,  the  work 
wrought  by  our  devoted  missionaries  in  their  land,  and  to  petition 
that  the  valuable  educational  work  instituted  by  our  mission  be 
further  prosecuted,  and  that  especially  the  high  school  at  Ongole  be 
raised  to  the  status  of  a  second-grade  college. 

A  movement  had  been  instituted  in  the  town,  on  the  part  of 
certain  of  the  straitest  sect  of  the  Hindus,  to  maintain  a  sort  of  rival 
school,  conducted  on  Hindu  principles  and  at  private  expense.  In 
the  meeting  above  referred  to,  this  whole  matter  was  discussed  in 
the  presence  of  Dr.  Clough  and  other  missionaries.  All  united  in 
the  strongest  commendation  of  our  mission  school  work.  The 

MR.  RUNGANADAM  PILLAI. 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


strictest  Ilindvis  even,  in  the  event  of  maintaining  their  own  school  in  the  town,  avowed  the 
desire  that  it  should  be  a  feeder  to  our  liigh  school,  especially  if  it  should  be  made  a  college.* 

One  of  these  gentlemen,  Mr.  Runganadam  I'illai,  was  opposed  to  the  Hindu  school  altogether, 
and  in  terms  of  great  boldness  and  rare  eloquence  pleaded  for  concentration  on  the  mission  high 
school.  In  the  course  of  his  argument,  he  urged  that  the  work  of  the  mission  school,  under  the 
control  of  the  missionaries,  is  the  only  force  which  goes  to  the  root  of  the  evils  which  inhere 
in  Hinduized  society.  "  Leave  the  work  of  education  entirely  in  the  hands  of  Dr.  Clough,  who  has 
done  so  much  for  a  town  like  Ongole,  and  who  has  thrown  his  heart  and  soul  together  for  educat- 
ing our  children  and  for  our  weli  being." 

The  address,  delivered  in  excellent  English,  came  with  such  hot  fervency,  with  such  bold 
energy,  in  the  very  face  of  his  Brahmin  brethren,  and  with  such  surprise  withal,  that  I  afterwards 
requested  the  gentleman  to  write  out  his  address  for  me.  This  he  did,  and  sent  it  by  the  hand 
of  Ur.  Clough,  remarking  in  the  note  which  accompanied  the  speech,  "There  is  some  readable 
matter  here  which  our  American  brethren  must  see." 

F(eli($iou5  D(?(5er?eratioi7  ip  Ir>dia. 

Referring  to  the  address  of  one  of  his  Brahmin  friends,  which  had  preceded  his,  in  which 
claim  was  made  that  the  ancient  Aryan  ancestors  of  the  Brahmins  worshipped  also  one  true  God 
as  the  missionaries  do,  Mr.  Runganadam  proceeded  to  trace  the  historical  degeneration  of  the 
Indian  peoples  from  the  early  Aryan  times,  period  by  period  through  the  Vedic  period,  the 
Puranic,  through  the  periods  when  Kapila  and  Buddha,  with  their  agnostic  theories  arose, 
through  the  period  when  the  worship  of  idols,  fetichism,  and  the  caste  system  came  in.  His 
summation  ran  thus  :  — 

"In  the  first  age,  the  Hindu  mind  recognized  God  and  the  equality  of  men ;  in  the  second,  it 
doubted  God,  and  introduced  the  caste  system  ;  in  the  third,  it  denied  the  government  of  God, 
and  admitted  the  equality  of  men ;  in  the  fourth,  it  firmly  established  idol-worship  and  caste  dis- 
tinctions. Thus  stage  by  stage,  the  great  fundamental  doctrines  of  the  fatherhood  of  God  and 
the  brotherhood  of  man  were  stamped  out  from  our  minds.  The  pernicious  caste  system  sur- 
rounds us  on  all  sides  from  the  day  of  our  birth  to  the  day  of  our  death.  It  has  bound  our  hand 
and  foot  together.  We  are  under  its  yoke,  and  are  now  the  willing  slaves  of  this  monster  tyrant 
and  intolerant  taskmaster.  It  has  sown  the  seeds  of  disunion  and  discord  among  us,  made  all 
honest  manual  labor  contemptible  in  our  sight,  shut  out  all  internal  and  external  commerce, 
brought  on  physical  degeneracy,  and  destroyed  the  germs  of  individuality  and  independence  of 
character." 

"  It  has  first  enslaved  us  by  the  most  abject  spiritual  tyranny,  and  then  prepared  us  to  take 
the  yoke  of  foreign  slavery.  It  has  made  the  various  classes  of  people  to  look  upon  each  other 
with  contempt.    They  appear  more  as  enemies  than  as  friends  in  their  social  relations. 

"The  condition  of  women  among  us  is  wretched  in  the  extreme.  An  infant  girl  is  married 
at  ten,  and  at  twelve  or  thirteen  often  becomes  a  mother  —  most  revolting,  indeed,  to  the  sense 


*  This  Hindu  school  has  since  been  abandoned. 


Oil  the  Tcli(gii.  I'/eld. 


of  a  rational  hciui;'  —  and  the  child  ninthcr  often  heconies  a  ijrandniother  at  the  a<;e  of  thirty. 
Children  born  of  such  i)arents  are  extremely  weak  and  puny  creatures,  often  crawlin;;  on  all 
fours,  and  soon  find  an  early  grave.  If  they  live,  they  prove  effeminate,  feeble  in  body  and  mind. 
If  an  infant  girl  loses  her  husband,  slie  becomes  a  widow,  and  is  doomed  to  be  a  moving  grave 
throughout  her  wiiole  e.xistence,  because  our  cruel  customs  cannot  allow  her  to  re-marry." 

iQdiar^  I^eforfT\5  putile. 

"We  arc  conside:ing  reforms.  Some  think  that  reform  must  proceed  from  within,  while 
others  hold  that  it  must  come  t'rom  without.  But  show  me  one  instance  where  we  ourselves, 
unaided  by  the  missionaries,  have  produced  such  changes  as  I  plead  for,  in  the  amelioration  of 
the  condition  of  the  masses,  who  are  the  backbone  of  the  country.  The  Indian  reformer  merely, 
struggles  hard  and  in  vain.  He  has  not  yet  succeeded  in  his  attempts  to  any  appreciable  degree. 
He  is,  rather,  baffled  on  all  sides. 

I  do  not  think  I  would  wound  the  feeling  of  my  friends  here  (Brahmins)  if  I  say  we  cannot, 
unaided,  accomplish  the  results  needed.  We  may  honestly  endeavor,  but  the  very  structure  of 
our  social  fabric  docs  not  permit  us  to  succeed.  The  work  must  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  more 
earnest  and  able  men  than  ourselves.  We  have  not  the  force  of  character  nor  the  moral  courage 
to  do  what  is  needed  for  the  common  good,  for  the  improvement  of  a  common  society.  Times, 
however,  are  changing,  and  we  see  the  signs  of  life  reviving.  We  must,  therefore,  try  to  acquire 
those  virtues  which  we  are  said  to  lack,  and  to  free  ourselves  from  the  faults  with  which  we  are 
justly  charged.  These  lessons  we  must  still  learn,  I  think,  from  our  English  and  American 
brethren ;  and  till  we  learn  them  we  must  put  our  children  under 
their  care  and  management." 

"  For  these  reasons,  I  think  there  is  no  necessity  for  another 
high  school  to  rival  the  mission  school,  and  the  work  may  be 
handed  over  to  Dr.  Clough,  who  will  continue  to  do  as  he  does  now, 
impart  both  secular  and  spiritual  education  to  our  children  with  all 
parental  care,  and  teach  them  also  a  sense  of  dut_\'  and  strength  for 
duty." 

5<?5l:imoi7y  to  /T\issioi7arii^s. 

"  Who  are  these  missionaries,  and  what  have  they  already  done 
for  us?  When  as  a  people,  as  the  result  of  the  deteriorating 
process  I  described  a  few  moments  ago,  we  were  fast  sinking 
beneath  the  weight  of  ignorance  and  of  the  priestly  and  .Moham- 
medan tyranny,  England  came  to  the  rescue,  like  a  godsend  to 
give  her  helping  hand.  The  Englishman,  indeed,  came  here  at  dr.  lv-Max  jewett. 
first  as  a  mere  merchant.    He  made  money,  and  went  back  to  his 

native  country  to  enrich  it.    He  came  again  as  often  as  he  liked,  finally  fought  for  our  countrv 
and  won  it. 


i6o 


In  BrigJitcst  Asia. 


"  But  in  the  case  of  a  missionary  who  came  in  the  wake  of  his  brother  merchant,  what  do 
we  find?  Did  he  come  to  make  money,  hoard  it  up,  and  take  it  back  to  the  land  of  his  birth, 
like  the  merchant?  Had  he  any  permanent  interest  in  the  land  of  his  sojourn?  He  had  neither 
the  one  nor  the  other.  He  was  separated  from  his  kith  and  kin,  and  sailed  from  the  land  of 
freedom  to  the  land  of  slaves.  He  had  neither  relative  nor  friend  in  this  strange  land,  except 
his  Bible  in  his  pocket.  He  planted  a  small  church  in  a  foreign  land,  preached  the  gospel  to 
an  alien  nation,  and  was  subject  to  the  laws  of  Oriental  government.  He  worked  under  many 
disadvantages,  identified  himself  with  strange  people,  and  never  saw  his  lovely  home  or  the 
sweet  faces  of  his  family  or  friends  left  behind.    He  often  got  tlie  tropical  fever  without  any- 


TELUr.l'  MISSIDN'ARIES. 


body  to  attend  upon  him.  He  was  weary  and  tired ;  had  at  times  nothing  to  eat,  and  did  not 
know  where  to  lay  his  head  in  the  evening  after  a  hard  day  of  labor.  He  became  the  friend  of 
the  poor,  and  the  poor  received  him  kindly.  He  was  often  beaten,  stoned,  annoyed  or  insulted 
in  the  course  of  his  work,  but  he  meekly  bore  all  these  hardships  because  he  knew  that  '  the 
blood  of  the  martyrs  is  the  seed  of  the  church.' 

"  Why  did  he  thus  toil  in  a  tropical  clime,  and  die  at  last  in  a  strange  land  '  unwept,  unhon- 
ored,  and  unsung'  ?  Reasons  for  such  self-sacrifice  are  not  far  to  seek.  Was  it  not  for  the  sake 
of  humanity?  for  the  sake  of  truth?  He  saw  face  to  face  the  deplorable  condition  of  the  people 
without  a  God  and  without  a  common  society,  and  he  therefore  made  himself  a  self-sacrifice  to 
the  righteous  cause." 


On  the  Tcliis^u  Jue/d. 


"  Instances  of  such  inissionarv  devotion  are  not  wantinj,'  in  our  country.  Turn  and  see  where 
Schwartz,  Fhixman,  Carey  and  St.  Francis  Xavier,  and  a  host  of  others  lie  buried.  They  were  tlie 
l)ioneers  of  our  new  civilization,  before  government  schools  and  colleges  were  ojjened.  It  is  this 
small  band  of  devout  missionaries  that  have  imi)lanted  the  fair  tree  of  freedom  in  our  soil, 
nourished  it,  fostered  it  with  all  tender  care,  and  brought  it  to  its  present  condition.  It  is  not  yet 
in  full  bearing.  It  is  they  that  have  ditTused  education,  and  made  the  gentle  stream  of  Western 
civilization  and  culture  flow  at  our  very  doors." 

5f?e  Uplifti^iJ  of  Outeasts. 

"  The  missionary  has  already  done  mucli,  and  the  remarkable  thing  is  that  his  best  achieve- 
ments have  been  wrought  among  that  class  (jf  people  whom  we  have  been  taught  most  to  despise. 
These  are  the  pariahs  of  society,  —  either  agriculturists  or  agricultural  laborers, —  the  low-caste 
man  in  India,  physically  strong,  but  morally  coward,  because  so  long  subject  to  social  and  spirit- 
ual tyranny  and  degeneracy. 

"It  is  from  this  low-caste  people  that  the  present  Christian  population  of  Ongole  is  mainly 
recruited.  It  musters  strong  here  ;  it  is  increasing  by  rapid  strides,  and  it  is  likely  to  submerge 
beneath  it  the  other  classes  at  no  distant  day,  if  these  Christian  masses  are  only  educated.  The 
Christians  are  now  taught  to  read  and  write,  though  this  had  been  denied  to  them  before,  and  to 
learn  the  sense  of  duty  and  a  strength  for  duty.  Their  posterity  is  also  increasing  proportionately 
as  they  themselves  are  on  the  increase. 

"  In  connection  wdth  this  movement,  we  may  now  see  in  the  same  mission  school  and  in  tlie 
same  class-room  the  boys  of  the  low  caste  and  the  no  caste  sitting  side  by  side  on  the  same  bench 
with  the  caste  Hindu  boys.  They  touch  each  other,  and  exchange  views,  thoughts  and  senti- 
ments with  each  other,  and  there  grows  up  a  mutual  respect.  Is  not  this  a  great  change,  and 
does  it  not  promise  a  bright  future  for  our  sons?  Is  not  this  an  honest  and  successful  endeavor 
to  bring  together  various  broken-up  societies,  and  agglutinate  them  into  one  homogeneous 
mass  ? 

"  To  complete  this  success,  we  must  unite  with  the  kind  missionary  who  stands  as  a  medium 
between  the  higher  and  lower  classes  of  people.  Moreover,  the  sort  of  education  afforded  by  the 
mission  school,  especially  if  they  shall  go  on  to  exalt  its  grade,  will  render  more  skilful  the  mis- 
sion's catechists  and  preachers,  enable  them  better  to  understand  the  nobler  truths  in  the  Bible, 
and  to  meet  the  arguments  of  the  educated  Hindus  who  yet  resist." 

At  the  close  of  the  evening  on  which  the  above  address,  with  several  others,  was  given,  these 
same  Brahmin  gentlemen  invited  me  to  preach  to  them  on  the  following  evening  (Sunday). 
This  I  did,  and  was  listened  to  with  an  attention  and  enthusiasm  that  surprised  me.  Moreover^ 
these  very  gentlemen  sat  serenely  amid  low-caste  peoples  and  others  of  the  town  who  came  in 
to  five  me  audience,  as  if  they  had  no  thought  of  caste  scruples. 

On  the  Monday  morning  before  I  left,  two  of  these  same  Brahmins  came  to  see  me  prrvately, 
showing  evidence  of  real  conviction  for  sin.  Not  only  did  they  permit  me  to  pray  for  them, 
but  they  each  prayed  for  themselves  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ. 


l63 


Jit  Ih-ig'fitci,t  Asia. 


[Later,  when  Dr.  Chnigh  came  to  leave  India  to  come  to  America,  these  high-caste  gentlemen 
of  Ongole  gathered  to  a  tarewell  meeting  given  in  his  honor ;  and  among  other  things  said  by 
them  in  their  addresses  was  this,  spoken  by  Mr.  Dhara  Markundayula  Sastry  (a  lirahmin  and 
private  banker) :  "According  to  the  Shastras,  I  should  not  have  stirred  out  of  my  house  to-day, 
as  there  was  a  ceremony  to  be  performed  by  me  this  day ;  but  whatever  the  Shastras  may  require, 
they  could  not  prevent  my  being  present  to  do  honor  to  Dr.  Clough,  who  has  done  so  much  for 
our  people  and  country." 

On  this  occasion  a  prepared  address,  engrossed  on  jjarchment,  was  read  to  the  missionary, 
and  afterw^ards  v.as  sent  to  him  in  this  country,  encased  in  an  elegant  silver  casket.] 


BAPTISTERY  AT  OXGOLE. 


The  Sabbath  at  Ongole  was  a  high  day.  The  chapel  was  thronged  at  9  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing with  666  Sunday-school  scholars.  Eighteen  hundred  texts  of  Scripture  were  recited.  It  was 
as  orderly  as  Deacon  Chipman's  old  school  at  Tremont  Temple,  or  as  Brother  Jacobs' in  Chicago. 
At  II  o'clock  Dr.  Clough  preached  to  the  throngs  which  now  filled  all  the  outside  verandas,  as 
well  as  the  chapel.  At  2  o'clock  candidates  presented  themselves  for  baptism,  and  ninety-seven 
were  received.  These  Brother  W.  and  I  baptized,  just  before  sunset,  in  that  historic  pool  under 
the  tamarind  tree  in  Dr.  Clough 's  garden,  where  not  less  than  10,000  souls  have  been  buried  and 
raised  again  with  their  Lord.  The  "  Lone  Star"  has  become  a  galaxy.  It  was  an  exalted  privi- 
lege to  have  a  little  part  in  this  renowned  and  apostolic  work. 


On  I  lie  'J\liign  Juc/i/. 


163 


Off  to  Qanp  at  (^Qr)da\ur. 

On  Monday  we  started,  in  company  with  Dr.  L'lounii,  in  his  famous  covered  ox  cart,  for  a 
tour  thrt)ugh  a  few  of  the  450  vilhiges  in  which  the  Ongole  discijjles  dwell,  and  to  pitch  camp  for 
a  couple  of  days  at  Chendalur,  fifty  miles  across  the  country  towards  Cumbum,  the  last  station  we 
could  visit  on  the  Telugii  field.    On  we  went,  all  Monday  afternoon  and  through  the  whole  night. 

Every  few  miles  we  would  fetch  up  at  a  village,  and  from  a  score  to  a  hundred  of  the  Christians 
would  assemble,  sing  a  hvmn  for  us,  ask  for  a  prayer,  and  then,  amid  a  chorus  of  "  Salaams,'''' 


CAMP  AT  CHEXDALUR. 


they  would  seize  our  cart,  and  draw  us  on  a  mile  or  so,  and  thus  "  send  us  on  our  way  after  a 
godly  sort." 

Through  all  hours  of  the  night  they  waited  for  us,  and  with  lanterns  and  torches  came  to  greet 
us.  Some  came  from  new  villages,  begging  for  a  teacher  and  for  the  word  of  God,  and  they 
would  not  take  "  No"  for  an  answer.  Some  came  clasping  our  knees,  and  all  but  worshipping 
us  in  thanks  for  the  gifts  of  missionaries  and  the  gospel.  But  after  we  had  reached  camp  the 
next  day,  what  scenes  awaited  us  I 

That  Tuesday  was  a  high  day  in  our  lives.  Probably  2,000  people  came  in  to  see  us.  It  was 
a  ?ieat  camp  meeting.  You  should  have  seen  them  bring  presents  to  me.  —  chickens,  eggs, 
parcels  of  sugar ;  and  two  live  rams  were  sent  from  two  village  chiefs. 


164 


Jn  brightest  Asia. 


Native  preachers,  with  numbers  of  candidates  for  baptism,  were  already  gathered,  and  through 
all  the  day  they  kejjt  coming  in  companies  of  from  six  to  thirty.  By  noon  there  were  groups 
on  all  sides  being  catechised  and  examined.  Idolatry  and  the  badges  of  Hinduism  were 
renounced  and  surrendered ;  notably  the  lock  of  hair  sacred  to  Vishnu  was  in  numerous  cases 
shorn  off.  Preaching  services  were  held.  An  audience  of  hundreds  sat  or  stood  about  us  while 
Dr.  Clough,  the  native  preachers  and  ourselves  discoursed  to  them. 

Baptizir7($  Experi^pees. 

At  5  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  baptisms  began.  Five  hundred  candidates  had  been  re- 
ceived. What  a  scene  it  was  !  Like  a  repetition  of  the  occasion  when  of  old  the  multitudes  went 
out  unto  John  at  the  Jordan.  We  baptized  till  dark,  and,  wearied,  bade  others  wait  till  morn- 
ing. Many  slept  under  the  trees,  and  next  morning  150  more  came  and  were  received ;  and  even 
at  noon,  when  we  were  obliged  to  break  camp  to  reach  our  train  ten  miles  away,  we  left  ninety- 
seven  others  waiting  for  the  ordinance ;  and  as  we  journeyed  along  the  road,  groups  of  yet  others, 
by  sixes  and  by  tens,  were  coming.  These  were  despatched  to  Dr.  Clough's  camp,  twenty  miles 
away,  for  the  morrow,  when  their  cases  would  be  heard.* 

The  truth  is,  that  the  whole  region  has  been  practically  won  to  confidence  in  the  missionary 
who  for  twenty-five  consecutive  years,  with  wondrous  tact  and  zeal,  has  devoted  his  whole  being 
to  this  people.  On  the  twenty-eighth  day  of  last  December,  1,671  were  baptized  at  Ongole. 
Not  less  than  3,500  will  be  gathered  in  this  year  on  the  Ongole  field  alone.  But  oh,  what  a 
dearth  of  teachers  for  those  450  villages  in  which  the  converts  reside !  Poor  they  are  beyond 
conception,  but  they  know  Christ  and  the  missionary.  It  was  pitiful  to  hear  them  "  beg  for 
teachers,"  to  be  "  taught  to  read,"  etc.  I  shall  not  soon  forget  the  case  of  one  man,  who  followed 
us  for  a  mile  or  two,  holding  on  to  the  side  of  our  ox  cart,  trotting  after  us  as  we  rapidly 
drove  across  the  plain  to  a  distant  station.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  physique  and  noble,  regular 
features,  with  nicely  trimmed  hair  and  a  clear,  piercing  eye.  As  he  earnestly  chatted  away  with 
Dr.  Clough,  I  asked  what  he  was  talking  about.  "Oh,"  said  the  Doctor,  "he  wants  to  come  to 
Ongole  to  learn  to  read."  "What?"  said  I,  "can't  that  man  read?  Look  at  his  fine  features, 
his  manly  self-poise."  "No,"  said  the  Doctor.  Said  I,  "Ask  him  why  he  wishes  to  learn  to 
read."  The  question  was  put.  "That  I  may  read  the  Bible,"  was  the  reply.  "Ask  him  why 
he  wants  to  read  the  Bible,"  I  further  queried.  Dr.  Clough  repeated  my  question  to  him.  With 
a  look  which  will  be  with  me  till  my  dying  day,  the  noble  fellow  looked  up  ;  his  eyes  met  mine  as 
he  earnestly  answered,  ''I  want  food  for  i/iy  heart!"  Said  I  to  Dr.  Clough,  "  Let  him  come  to 
your  school,  if  he  is  forty  years  of  age  and  has  a  family ;  don't  turn  any  man  away  who  '  wants 
food  for  his  heart.'"  Dr.  Clough  told  him  what  I  said,  and  invited  him  to  come  up  to  the  next 
quarterly  meeting  at  Ongole.    ''Salaam,''''  said  the  delighted  man,  and  away  he  went  across  the 

*  In  fact,  within  the  next  week  after  Dr.  Clough  parted  from  us,  he  baptized  600  more.  In  one  case 
the  whole  village  accepted  Christianity,  pulling  down  their  idol-house,  and  giving  up  to  the  missionary 
their  idols,  some  of  which  he  afterwards  brought  to  us. 


On  the  Tclii^n  Plcld. 


plain  to  liis  home,  to  make  arran;j;ements  to  j^et  reatly  for  tlie  anticipated  period  of  study  ai  tiie 
mission  capital. 

Will  the  American  BajJtists  tell  iis  how  these  evangelized  nuiltitiides  are  to  he  trained  and 
built  up  into  a  compact  spiritual  house,  unless  missionaries  on  this  field,  pressed  to  breaking  in 
this  colossal  work,  are  mightily  and  speedily  reinforced? 

From  Chendalur  we  went  to  Donakonda,  and,  bidding  Dr.  Clough  farewell,  took  the  train  for 
Cumbum.  We  supposed  the  enthusiastic  welcome  accorded  us  had  reached  its  climax  on  the 
Ongole  field;  but  no.  I  fear,  indeed,  that  "I  should  become  a  fool  in  glorying"  if  I  should 
tell  of  all  that  awaited  us  as  we  arrived  on  the  Cumbum  district.  At  three  successive  stations 
on  the  railway,  companies  of  the  native  Christians  of  a  couple  of  hundred  each,  hearing  of 
our  approach,  had  come  out  to  meet  us  with  their  excited  "■Salaams''''  and  with  little  presents, 
as  they  stood  drawn  up  alongside  of  our  train  for  recognition. 

The  people  on  the  train  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  it.  They  had  scarcely  seen  anybody 
receive  such  wholesale  honor  from  these  poor  non-caste  people.  The  viceroy  of  India  would 
have  scarcely  had  a  more  eager  welcome. 

Arrived  at  Cumbum,  where  we  could  only  spend  the  night,  the  darkness  had  come  on,  and  we 
were  deploring  that  we  should  be  unable  to  see  the  compound  by  daylight.  But  our  fears  had 
been  anticipated.  As  we  rode  into  the  yard  fronting  the  mission-house,  drawn  in  an  American 
buggy  with  ten  fleet  students  of  the  school  for  steeds,  suddenly  "Salaains^^  from  600  throats  saluted 
our  ears.  The  flame  of  a  huge  bonfire  illumined  the  place.  School  children  raised  a  song  of 
welcome.  Banners  with  finely  lettered  greetings,  such  as  "Welcome"  and  "God  bless  our 
secretary,"  and  the  like  over-arched  the  way. 

The  veteran  preacher  "  Abraham  "  seized  my  hand  with  both  of  his,  and  like  another  Simeon 
broke  forth,  "  Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace."  *  He  afterwards  begged  the 
privilege  of  walking  all  the  way  down  to  the  railway  station,  and  bearing  a  lantern  to  light  the 
way  for  us,  a  distance  of  four  miles,  at  the  hour  of  midnight,  to  which,  of  course,  we  did  not 
consent.  At  the  meeting  in  the  chapel,  he  prayed  for  us  like  a  prophet,  thanking  God  "that  the 
shepherd  is  among  us,"  and  praising  God  for  the  "  reception  of  such  a  gospel,  even  that  of 
the  covenant  through  the  precious  blood  of  Christ,  which  our  American  brethren  have  sent  us." 

There  was  one  man  in  Mrs.  Newcomb's  house,  a  converted  caste  man,  formerly  a  priest,  who 
I  verily  believe  would  have  worshipped  me,  if  I  had  not  stopped  him.  He  bowed  his  face  on 
my  hands  repeatedly,  held  his  hands  on  my  head  with  such  devotion,  and  embraced  me  till  I  was 
unable  to  endure  it.    I  despair  of  describing  the  reception  given  us  at  the  Newcomb  compound. 

The  eager  youths  of  the  school  sent  up  sky-rockets,  and  kindled  throughout  the  twenty-acre 
compound  bonfires,  which  so  illumined  the  whole  place  that  we  saw  everything  as  if  by  day- 
light. The  girls'  school ;  the  fine  oriental  well,  worthy  to  be  compared  with  Hezekiah's  Pool  in 
Jerusalem ;  the  rising  new  mission-house,  so  long  needed ;  the  stately  grove  of  tamarind  trees ; 

*  This  old  man  lias  since  passed  away  peacefully  to  his  reward. 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


the  spacious  clKi;)el,  and  the  liandsome  baptistery  were  all  visible  and  redolent  under  the 
illumination. 

Here  again  we  found  waiting  for  baptism  fortj'-four  recent  converts  from  the  Weaver  caste, 
the  first-fruits  of  a  coming  harvest  from  the  higher  ranks.  Being  personally  too  weary  myself, 
Brother  W.  again  stood  me  in  stead  in  administering  the  ordinance.  A  quiet,  impressive  and 
inspiring  scene  it  all  made. 

Then  came  the  meeting  in  the  chapel,  with  addresses,  singing,  responses,  prayers,  etc. 
Probably  700  persons  were  present.  We  were  obliged  to  take  the  train  for  Bombay  the  next 
morning ;  and  as  the  railway  was  four  miles  away,  we  preferred  to  go  to  the  station  to  sleep  a 
little,  leaving  at  11  o'clock.  So  all  this  had  to  be  packed  into  one  evening.  We  had  such  a 
time  shaking  the  people  off  when  we  came  to  leave.  We  were  captives  of  a  gratitude  that  was 
touching  in  the  extreme.  Well,  all  this  was  hardly  foreseen  when  I  baptized  those  two 
people  (Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newcomb)  in  Indianapolis  ten  years  ago.    "  What  hath  God  wrought!" 

After  making  all  due  allowance  for  the  glow  of  this  reception,  due  in  part  to  the  gladness  of 
our  missionaries,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newcomb,  to  receive  a  former  pastor  who  had  baptized  them, 
we  can  calmly  say  that  the  Cumbum  Christians  have  the  true  ring.  The  great  meeting  in 
the  chapel  which  followed  the  baptism  gave  opportunity  for  them,  in  addresses,  prayers  and 
songs,  to  give  proof  of  their  genuine  quality.  Great  blessing  has  attended  Brother  Newcomb's 
work  from  the  first.  In  the  year  just  closing,  he  has  been  permitted  to  record  1,200  baptisms, 
and  200  more  are  entered  on  the  new  year.  He  was  lately  petitioned  to  visit  one  district  in 
which  it  is  said  600  are  waiting  for  the  ordinance.*  He  seems  to  have  his  native  assistants  well 
in  hand.    Mrs.  Newcomb's  work  in  the  school  is  also  most  effective. 

Had  we  had  time  to  visit  other  stations  like  Bapatla,  Nursaravapetta  and  others,  we  should 
have  seen  similar  things.  The  work  of  ingathering  is  by  no  means  confined  to  the  Ongole 
and  Cumbum  districts.  At  Palmur,  \"inukonda  and  Nalgonda,  numbers  of  converts  are  also 
coming  in,  and  no  part  of  the  Telugu  field  is  without  fruitage. 

^Vj  Imper^diQcJ  C^risij. 

Such  were  some  of  the  many  heart-filling  experiences  which  we  were  graciously  permitted 
to  enjoy  in  our  brief  visit  to  this  mission.  Many  good  things.  less  demonstrative,  but  quite  as 
genuine  and  full  of  promise,  must  remain  untold.  Many  dark,  dark  scenes  are  there.  The 
very  greatness  of  this  ingathering  precipitates  a  crisis.  The  converts,  as  a  rule,  are  untutored, 
poor  almost  to  beggary,  and  in  need  of  even  the  most  primary  instruction  and  discipline 
in  the  whole  round  of  living.  Our  force  is  entirely  inadequate  to  begin  to  do  this  properly. 
Unless  we  do  have  speedy  and  large  re-enforcements,  there  is  grave  danger  that  in  the  near 
future,  when  some  of  the  veterans  shall  have  fallen  and  the  personal  magnetism,  which  has  so 
long  and  well  held  them  to  us  is  departed,  we  shall  have  disastrous  fallings  away  to  face.  May 
God  prevent  such  a  calamity  ! 

*  In  fact,  he  found  many  times  that  number,  who  have  since  been  gathered  in,  in  numbers  so  large  a? 
to  be  startling,  — •  about  3,000  of  them. 


In  Bible  Lands. 


167 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

I9  Bible  Car^ds. 

/Irabiap  5^3- 

Steamship  "  Peninsular,"  February  15. 

0NE  day  out  from  Bombay,  headed  for  home,  having  completed  most  happily  my  pere- 
grinations on  the  six  mission-fields  of  Japan,  China,  Malaysia,  Burma,  Assam  and 
India ;  all  this  without  a  day's  illness  or  the  least  touch  of  fever  of  any  kind,  and  amid 
scenes  which,  beyond  any  others  of  a  previous  lifetime,  have  been  gratifying  to  my 
inmost  heart.  Surely  I  should  be  a  thankful  soul  to-day,  as  I  know  you  will  be,  when  you  read 
the  lines  announcing  the  completion  of  this  record.  My  gratitude  to  our  preserving  God  is 
further  heightened  by  the  reflection  that  in  all  these  six  months  of  our  separation,  my  dear  family 
flock  have  also  been  spared  from  accident  or  illness,  which  would  at  least  have  interfered  with  the 
serenity  of  mind,  so  desirable  to  one  who  is  called  upon  to  take  in  so  much  as  I  have  been 
expected  to.  I  have  been  highly  favored  also,  in  being  able  to  see  so  many  of  the  very  persons 
I  most  wished  to  meet  on  these  fields. 

Yesterday  at  2  p.m.  we  set  sail  in  this  superb  ship,  with  some  hundreds  of  pleasant  passengers, 
including  the  Bishop  of  Lahore,  Sir  Charles  Crossthwaite,  late  chief  commissioner  of  Burma,  a 

couple  of  lords  and  barons,  etc.  

Mr.  Armstrong  of  Maulmein,  Miss 
Tschirch  of  Bassein,  Miss  Bunn  of 
Prome,  Mrs.  Cochrane  of  Toungoo, 
and  we  two  Baptist  bishops  com- 
posed the  missionary  party.  As 
usual,  we  have  perfection  of  weather, 
smooth  seas,  and  we  glide  on 
towards  Aden,  our  first  landing- 
place,  as  serenely  as  possible. 

/Idep. 

February  23. 
Aden  we  found  a  strange,  deso- 
late, Mohammedan  sort  of  a  place. 
The  rocks,  which  tower,  rugged  and 
bare,  on  every  hand,  are  Gibraltar- 
like in  grandeur,  and  fortified  by 


i6S 


Iti  Brightest  Asia. 


the  English  to  the  highest  pitcli.  We  went  ashore,  and  drove  from  the  landing  about  five  miles 
away  to  the  city,  where  we  saw,  amid  the  fastnesses  of  the  rocks,  ancient  pools,  said  to  have 
been  prepared  by  Solomon.  The  whole  district  was  alive  with  camels,  Arabs  having  ostrich 
plumes  to  sell,  and  gamins  crying  "backsheesh!" 


I^ed  5ea  apd  /T\l:.  Slpai. 

Yesterday  was  the  Sabbath,  spent  on  the  Red  Sea.  In  the  afternoon  I  preached  on  the 
"  Event  of  the  Crossing."  (Heb.  xi.  29.)  It  was  an  elevating  experience,  dwelling,  as  I  did, 
upon  the  crises  of  life  which  the  ancient  physical  miracle  symbolized.  There  were  no  dull  lis- 
teners. How  could  there  be,  in  such  a  place,  with  Mt.  Sinai  itself  almost  in  sight,  —  really  so 
in  the  early  morning  following  ? 

/^lexaQdria. 


Khedive  Steamship  "  Mahalla,"  Alexandria  Harbor,  February  26. 

We  are  just  off  for  Jaffa,  reversing  the  order,  I  hope,  of  a  certain  prophet  of  old  who  vainly 
trusted  to  reach  Tarshish.  We  came  from  Cairo  last  night  by  train.  We  had  only  this  morning 
until  10  o'clock  to  see  Alexandria,  but  in  reality  there  is  very  little  to  see,  as  compared  with 
Cairo. 

The  only  ancient  relic  of  consequence  is  Pompey's  Pillar,  a  lofty  granite  shaft,  terminating 
in  a  Corinthian  capital.    Its  date  is  the  fourth  century,  A.D.,  and  was  probably  in  honor  of  the 

Roman  emperor,  Diocletian,  as  the  books  say.    The  site  of 
the  old  Pharos,  or  lighthouse,  is  pointed  out,  while  a  new 
■* modern  affair  stands  farther  out  on  the  point  or  horn  of  arti- 
7j\-i  ficial  reef  which  encloses  the  harbor. 

'''^  The  site  of  the  city  is  on  low,  flat,  uninteresting  ground. 
On  the  limestone  coast  to  the  southward,  stand  a  lot  of  quaint 
old  windmills,  suggestive  of  Holland ;  while  a  little  above 
the  water  line  and  under  where  the  windmills  stand,  can 
be  seen  rows  of  entrances  to  ancient  catacombs. 

In  driving  about  the  city,  one  is  struck  with  the  half- 
Grecian  character  of  people,  costumes,  etc.  Many  of  the 
shop  signs  are  written  in  Greek  characters.  The  character- 
istics of  the  people,  however,  are  a  mighty  deterioration  on 
the  old  model  we  cherish  in  sentiment.  Of  course  the  Turk- 
ish and  Egyptian  characters  prevail.  Traces  of  the  Arabic 
and  Mohammedan  are  much  less  marked  than  in  Cairo. 
Even  the  donkey  boys  are  scarce,  as  compared  with  Cairo. 

THE  SHIP  OF  THE  DESERT. 


///  Bible  Lands. 


<?airo. 

All  day  yesterday  we  gave  to  Cairo,  which  is  modern  Egypt.  We  visited  the  Citadel,  the 
mosques,  the  great  Mohammedan  College  of  El  Azhar,  with  its  10,000  students,  besides  driving 
through  wonderfully  antique  and  curious  streets ;  peered  into  shojis  of  every  descri])tion  ;  had  a 
donkey  ride  on  "  Yankee  Doodle,"  as  the  day  before  we  took  a  camel  ride  on  a  beast  similarly 
named,  of  course  for  the  time  being  for  our  American  benefit. 

The  Nile,  in  appearance,  is  rather  disappointing.  It  is  muddy,  and  its  banks,  for  the  most 
part,  are  treeless.  Of  course  this  is  the  Lower  Nile.  The  upper  river  I  suppose  to  be  quite 
different. 

Everything  at  the  Pyramids  was  exactly  as  I  had  fancied  it.  Ten  miles  south  of  the  city,  five 
miles  back  from  the  river  on  a  plateau  of  sand-covered  limestone  ledges  of  rocks,  —  back  from 
which  sweeps  the  great  Libyan  Desert,  a  dreary  waste,  —  stand  these  ancient  tombs  ;  for  such 
only  they  are,  despite  all  the  elaborate  theorizing  of  the  books  relating  to  them.  They  are  not 
disappointing.  Massive,  majestic  and  impressive,  they  are  speaking  evermore  of  the  aspira- 
tions of  those  old  kings  for  immortality  and  perpetual  remembrance. 

By  all  odds,  however,  the  most  impressive  and  awe-inspiring  objects  I  have  seen  in  all  my 
rounds  are  those  six  or  eight  mummies  in  the  museum  dating,  beyond  a  question,  from  the  time 
of  Moses.  The  preservation  is  wonderful;  teeth,  hair,  finger  nails,  knuckles,  all  intact,  as  if 
they  had  been  animated  within  ten  years.  As  we  filed  past  their  coffins,  we  could  almost 
imagine  ourselves  at  a  regular  modern  funeral.  At  all  events,  my  remembrance  of  the  face 
of  the  coffined  Lincoln,  which  I  saw  in  Chicago,  is  that  it  was  no  more  real  to  life  than  that 
of  these  old  kings  and  queens.  The  long  locks  of  one  of  the  queens  lie  about  her  neck  and 
shoulders,  as  if  just  taken  down  for  a  combing.  Think  of  looking  on  the  bared  breast  of  old 
Pharaoh!  That  breast  under  which  beat  once  the  heart  which  it  is  said  God  "hardened."'  I 
thought  surely  the  whole  of  the  old  rebel  —  not  merely  his  heart  —  was  here  hardened  enough ! 

Off  for  Jaffa. 

And  now  we  are  really  on  board  the  ship,  with  Jaffa  for  our  destination,  and  Jerusalem  beyond 
tugging  at  our  heartstrings.  The  blue,  blue  waters  of  the  Mediterranean  are  beneath  me;  the 
long,  low,  flat,  sandy  coasts  of  Egypt,  away  at  my  right,  are  receding,  and  our  prow  heads  for 
the  city  of  Simon  the  tanner. 

By  to-morrow  noon  we  should  be  in  Rolla  Floyd's  landing-boats,  and  soon  after  I  shall,  I 
trust,  be  making  my  pilgrimage  to  the  spot  where  lie  the  ashes  of  Amory  Gale.  What  would  not 
some  Minneapolis  people  I  know  give  to  be  with  me  there?  I  covet  for  them  the  melancholy 
privilege. 

The  sea  on  which  we  sail  is  just  a  little  wavy,  but  the  sun  shines  brightly,  and  the  white  crests 
smile  their  congratulations  to  my  Joyful,  eager  heart.  "My  feet  shall  stand  within  thy  gates,  O 
Jerusalem  !"    I  doubt  if  any  pilgrim  ever  coursed  this  sea  with  more  eagerness  and  satisfaction. 


///  lirig  Jitcst  Asia. 


What  a  Sabbath  that  next  day  will  be  if  C^od  will  !  What  a  sanctuary  we  shall  have  to  wor- 
ship in  I    Ciethsemane,  Mt.  of  Olives,  Mt.  Zion,  Calvary,  antl  the  Hill  of  Ascension  near  Bethany. 

February  27. 

The  shores  of  the  Holy  Land  are  before  me.  The  outlines  of  Jaffa  begin  to  appear,  although 
a  shower  which  is  falling  dims  the  view,  and  dampens  the  sentiment.  Half  an  hour  ago  we 
caught  glimpses  of  the  hills  of  Ephraim,  but  now  they  have  disappeared.  Though  the  rain  is 
unpleasant,  the  seas  are  calm,  and  our  landing  will  be  an  easy  thing. 

The  sun  shines  brightly  on  the  whole  coast  line  from  Mount  Carmel,  on  the  north,  to  Ash- 
dod,  on  the  south.  Jafta's  hilly  mount,  with  red-tiled  roofs, — -really  quite  a  city, —  is  about  two 
miles  distant.  The  native  boats  coming  out  from  the  shore  begin  to  dot  the  sea.  Beyond  them 
a  little  white  surf  breaks  on  the  rocks.  Now  the  whole  hill  district  of  Samaria  stands  out  dis- 
tinctly, with  a  peak  which  some  say  is  Gerizim,  crowning  all. 

Landed  !  In  a  little  German  hotel  in  Jaffa.  Sitting  on  the  veranda  of  the  hotel,  just  before  me 
are  acres  and  acres  of  orange  groves,  golden  with  their  abundant  harvest.  They  lie  on  the 
ground  under  the  trees  also,  as  thick  as  buttercups  in  a  pasture.  Yonder  across  the  grove  in 
the  rear  of  the  city,  is  a  pond  which  in  Solomon's  time  was  a  harbor,  and  where  doubtless  the 
cedars  from  Lebanon  for  the  Temple  were  landed.  Here  Peter  had  his  wondrous  vision  on  just 
such  flat  housetops  as  are  all  around  me.  Here  Tabitha  was  raised  from  the  dead.  Oh  !  it  is  a 
delight  to  feel  that  I  am  in  the  Land,  and  that  on  those  blue  hills  of  Ephraim  and  Galilee,  now 
in  full  view  in  the  distance  northward,  our  blessed  Lord  often  gazed. 

5b<?  Ride  to  Jerusalem. 

'  ^    ^  Jerusalem,  February  28. 

I  have  had  a  long  ride  to-day,  thirty  miles  from  Ramleh  through  a  cold,  driving  rain.  I  am  at 
last  in  the  Holy  City ;  or  I  should  say  upon  the  edges  of  it,  for  in  truth  I  have  not  yet  even  seen 
the  walls.  We  arrived  at  about  4  o'clock  this  afternoon,  and  stopped  at  a  hotel  which  is  about 
a  half-mile  outside  the  walls,  which  are  so  hidden  by  numerous  modern  buildings,  consulates, 
hospitals,  schools,  etc.,  that  from  appearances  no  one  would  dream  we  were  near  Jerusalem. 
Heavy  mists  and  rain  clouds  are  over  the  whole  region ;  and  so  cold  was  I  and  tired,  on  arriving, 
that  I  decided  to  remain  by  the  fire,  and  wait  until  morning  before  venturing  out  to  see  anything. 
I  confess  I  was  not  anxious  to  have  my  first  view  of  Jerusalem  under  such  skies. 

The  spots  we  passed  to-day  on  our  mountain-climbing  ride  (for  such  it  was,  in  a  closed  car- 
riage) were  Kirjath  Jearim,  the  vale  of  Elah,  Job's  well,  and  Emmaus.  Some  of  them  are 
authentic.  The  vales  through  which  we  came  were  so  full  of  interest  and  even  beauty  to  me  ! 
The  green  barley  and  wheat  fields,  the  numerous  olive  groves  and  vineyards  on  the  terraced 
slopes,  were  to  my  fancy  vocal  with  the  voices  of  sacred  personages  of  old.  It  being  spring- 
time, the  country  is  surprisingly  green,  and  really  being  rapidly  recovered  from  its  former  waste 
and  unproductive  condition.  The  endless  succession  of  billowy  hills,  rocky  beyond  concep- 
tion, were  very  engaging  to  me.  Once  they  were  peopled  with  myriad  towns  and  villages. 
The  prophets  saw  and  moved  over  and  among  them.  They  all  spoke  to  me  of  thoughts  unutter- 
able.   The  carriage  road  is  superb  — like  a  Swiss  road;  and  the  ascent  from  Ramleh  of  2,500 


///  /h'i'lc  Lands. 


feet  reminded  me  of  a  Swiss  pass.  Jerusalem  itself  is  ri^lit  up  in  the  clouds,  the  climax  of 
the  thirty-mile  gradual  ascent.  A  singular  sense  of  being  at  home  possesses  one  in  Palestine. 
I  seem  no  more  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land.  Our  Lord  long  ago  pre-empted  all  this,  and  what 
was  and  is  J/is,  and  has  long  been  so  dearly  familiar  to  my  mind  and  heart,  I  now  claim  as 
mine  in  His  name. 

So  real  do  the  Scripture  events  now  appear  to  me,  that  it  verily  seems  as  though,  if  I  were  to 
go  early  to-morrow  morning  to  the  sepulchre,  I  should  meet  Maiy  and  the  "Gardener"  whom 
ahe  met,  clasped  and  adored.  As  we  passed  Emmaus  to-day,  but  for  the  pouring  rain,  I  should 
have  climbed  the  hill  to  the  old  ruins  of  white  limestone,  almost  expecting  to  have  the  Saviour 
reveal  himself  as  risen,  and  making  himself  known  in  the  breaking  of  bread.  A  strong,  sweet 
satisfaction  fills  me  to-night  as  I  pray  and  lie  down  to  rest.    Who  shall  say  He  is  not  still  here? 


Iq    tl?!^   H^'y   ^'ty-  Sunday  Evening,  March  I. 

My  first  day  in  Jerusalem !  I  woke  early,  with  strange  sensations  of  surroundings  of  more 
than  dramatic  interest.  It  was  raining  again ;  but  after  a  haaty  breakf.ist,  I  s.dlied  forth  to  find 
W.,  who  had  taken  quarters  for  us  in  the  German 
"  Johanniter  Hospitz,"  within  the  city  itself.  I  was 
glad  to  find,  as  I  made  my  way  into  the  street,  th.it 
the  city — the  old,  quaint,  walled  part  —  could  not  be 
seen  at  all. 

I  took  a  carriage,  and  rode  to  the  Jaffa  gate.  Then 
dismounting,  I  entered  through  the  walls,  and  found 
myself  in  a  very  narrow  street  of  about  fifteen  feet  in 
width,  and  for  the  most  part  not  only  walled  in,  but 
arched  overhead,  so  that  nothing  can  be  seen  of  the 
city  as  a  whole.  Indeed,  this  is  characteristic  of  all 
the  streets  of  the  inside  city ;  you  cannot  see  it  for 
the  houses,  and  especially  for  the  overhead  vaulted 
coverings,  all  of  yellow  limestone.  The  sun  was  begin- 
ning to  shine.  We  resolved  to  make  our  way  at  once 
to  the  Mt.  of  Olives,  in  order  to  get  the  general  view 
while  the  clouds  were  broken.  So  we  entered  the  Via 
Dolorosa,  which  leads  to  the  St.  Stephen's  gate,  open- 
ing towards  the  mount,  and  started.  The  street  leads 
downhill  all  the  way,  is  paved  with  stone,  with  both  a 
slope  and,  about  every  ten  or  twenty  feet,  a  step  down 
besides. 

All  along  this  way  the  stages  are  marked  indicating 
the  successive  steps  by  which  Jesus  was  brought  to  crucifixion,  and  inscriptions  in  Latin  are 
engraved  on  the  walls.    For  example,  "  In  this  place  Pilate  delivered  Jesus  that  he  might  be 


THE  JOH.A.X\ITER  HO.SPllZ. 


172 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


crucified."  "  Here  they  plaited  a  crown  of  thorns."  "  Here  the  soldiers  scourged  him,"  etc. 
The  "  Ecce  Homo  Arch"  is  shown;  the  place  where  He  fainted  under  His  cross,  etc.  To  be 
sure,  much  of  this  is  traditional ;  but  nevertheless  you  are  morally  sure  that  along  this  road  at 
least  the  Divine  Sufferer  passed. 

Emerging  from  the  Eastern  or  St.  Stephen's  gate,  the  Mt.  of  Olives  burst  full  upon  us  ;  much 
as  I  had  fancied,  only  rather  nearer  the  city  than  I  expected.  There  at  the  extreme  left  was  the 
Galilee  knoll ;  there  in  the  middle,  the  Hill  of  Ascension,  so  called,  the  former  surmounted  Ijy  a 
fine  Greek  church  with  a  lofty  modern  tower  of  fresh  yellow  limestone,  the  latter  occupied  by  a 
Mohammedan  mosque  and  a  minaret  old  and  gray.  Still  farther  to  the  right,  was  the  Hill  of 
Evil  Counsel.  Down  deep  in  the  valley  between  us  and  the  mount,  was  the  green  valley  of  the 
Kidron,  the  little  stream  now  flowing  pretty  full.  Just  beyond  the  brook  lay  the  "Garden  of 
Gethsemane,"  with  its  few  disappointingly  small  olives  and  cypresses,  enclosed  by  a  higher 
and  every  way  stitTer  and  more  modern  wall  than  I  expected  to  see.  There  are  two  enclosures 
—  one  claimed  by  the  Greek  Church,  and  the  other  by  the  Roman  Catholic,  as  the  true  Garden, 
each  having  its  own  wall.  Of  course  here  is  clap-trap  again,  to  extort  money  from  travellers. 
Still,  we  know  the  garden  to  have  filled  probably  the  whole  place,  and  it  was  affecting  to 
behold  it. 

Uieu;  from  Oliuet. 

I  had  resolved  not  to  cast  a  look  back  on  the  city  itself  until  I  should  have  reached  the  sum- 
mit of  the  mount ;  and  so  I  trudged  on  a  good  twenty  minutes'  climb  up  the  mount,  thinking  of 
David's  experience  when  he  fled  from  Absalom  up  this  same  steep,  and  found  my  way  to  the 
minaret  of  the  mosque,  entered,  and  ascended  to  the  top  of  the  spiral  stairway.  I  came  out 
on  the  eastern  side.  Then  there  burst  upon  me  first  the  rolling  and  rugged  Wilderness  of 
Judea,  and  beyond  it  the  bright,  glistening  waters  of  the  Dead  Sea,  which  seemed  not  more 
than  four  miles  away — really  twenty.  I  could  see  perhaps  twenty  miles  of  its  length,  silvery  and 
placid,  with  mists  and  rain  clouds  lifted  far  above  it.  Rising  high  and  purple  beyond  it,  was  the 
wall  of  Moab,  which  mounted  up,  up,  and  stretched  far  away  beyond  in  a  range  of  real  mountains. 

Running  my  eye  northward  along  the  summit  line,  I  could  discern  the  semblance  of  a  peak 
now  and  then,  one  of  which  might  easily  have  been  Nebo.  From  such  a  height  Moses  could  read- 
ily have  taken  in,  under  clear  skies,  the  entire  limits  of  Palestine,  from  Beersheba  to  Hermon, 
and  as  far  as  to  the  Mediterranean. 

The  height  and  majesty  of  this  range  quite  astonished  me.  The  mists  upon  it  were  sufficiently 
dense,  and  enough  smitten  through  with  sunshine,  to  make  it  all  entrancingly  mysterious,  and 
yet  to  reveal  its  full  outlines. 

Now  letting  the  eye  run  downward  from  the  heights  north  of  the  Dead  Sea,  the  great  Jordan 
plain  lay  in  full  view.  Oh,  what  wealth  of  verdure  filled  it!  Touched  with  the  greater  and 
lesser  portions  of  fickle  sunlight  which  played  upon  the  fields,  every  tint  of  green  was  revealed, 
the  deepest  sea  green,  verging  on  emerald,  prevailing. 

"  Sweet  fields  beyond  the  swelling  floods 
Stand  dressed  in  living  green." 


1)1  Bible  Lands. 


I  could  see  why  Lot  became  enamored  to  pitch  toward  Sodom.  The  banks  of  the  Jordan  we 
could  trace,  and  in  places  see  its  waters  glistening.  The  view  was  fascinating.  I  could  almost 
see  John  baptizing  the  multitudes  ;  behold  the  "  Lamb  of  God  "  emerging  from  the  waves  ;  and, 
through  the  long  perspective  of  the  ages,  see  Joshua  leading  his  hosts  down  those  majestic,  far- 
away slopes  across  the  dry  water-course,  and  piling  their  memorial  stones  on  the  hither  bank. 
'Tis  good  to  have  seen  the  spots,  even  at  such  a  distance  and  from  a  point  of  view  not  granted 
even  to  Moses. 

I  had  almost  forgotten  to  look  at  Jerusalem.  Walking  now  around  to  the  western  side  of  the 
minaret,  I  took  in  at  a  glance  the  whole  city.  It  was  much  as  I  had  imagined,  — gray,  ancient, 
solemn  and  sublime  with  moral  and  spiritual  suggestion ;  the  walls  a  little  lower  than  I  had  sup- 
posed; the  Mosque  of  Omar  disappointing ;  the  Temple  area  smaller  than  I  had  fancied;  and 
the  surrounding  mountains  more  impressive ;  the  vales  of  Jehoshaphat  and  Hinnom  just  as  I 
supposed  ;  —  the  whole  like  a  dream.  I  had  to  rub  my  eyes  to  test  myself  if  it  were  really  I  that 
was  viewing  the  most  august  city  on  earth,  and  from  the  very  mount  from  whence  our  Lord 
ascended. 

My  time  in  the  Holy  Land  was  necessarily  very  brief,  — a  bare  week,  —  only  time  to  go  from 
Jaffa  to  Jerusalem,  to  the  Jordan,  Dead  Sea,  Bethlehem,  Solomon's  Pools,  and  Bethany, 
embracing,  of  course,  the  environs  of  the  Holy  City,  Gethsemane,  the  Mount  of  Olives,  Calvary, 
the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  tombs  of  David,  Absalom,  Rachel,  etc.  But  what  a  Jwly  week 
it  was  to  me !    I  seem  to  see  it  all  still  as  ever  present. 

It  is  full  spring,  and  the  country  is  lovely  with  herbage  and  flowers.  The  plain  of  Sharon 
is  like  a  great  Minnesota  wheat  farm;  the  mountains  of  Judah,  gray  and  rocky,  are  also  richly 
sown  with  glowing  scarlet  anemones,  shooting  stars,  and  pink-fringed  daisies ;  the  vales  on  the 
way  down  to  Jericho  are  as  fresh  as  Vermont  mountain  slopes,  except  as  these  again  are  purpled 
with  flowers  more  gorgeous  than  robes  of  Solomon ;  the  plain  of  the  Jordan  is  green  and  golden 
by  turns,  and  mysterious  with  haze,  with  a  lack  of  perspective  also,  that  everywhere  mystifies  you 
as  to  distance ;  the  Dead  Sea  is  crystalline  in  clearness ;  the  mountains  of  Moab  lie  over  there 
majestic  as  a  range  of  the  Rockies,  deeply  seamed  with  gorges,  capped  with  snow  away  north- 
ward towards  Gilead ;  and  even  yet  I  can  see  the  sun  in  all  his  glory  just  peeping  over  Nebo  at 
me  as  he  did  at  sunrise  when  he  saluted  me  on  Olivet. 

We  were  beneath  the  gnarled  old  olives  in  sad  yet  lovely  Gethsemane,  —  a  garden  yet,  — and 
there  had  a  little  prayer  meeting  of  our  own ;  with  uncovered  heads  communing  with  Him  who 
there  agonized  for  us.  With  singular  success  Canova  has  chiselled  the  scene  of  that  awful  night, 
in  a  fine  bas-relief  which  is  set  in  the  chapel  wall  hard  by.  The  moment  he  has  chosen  is  that 
in  which  the  cup  has  been  drunk  to  its  dregs,  the  exhausted  Saviour  just  sinking  with  utter  faint- 
ness,  and  the  "  angel  appears  strengthening  him."  Before  the  requisite  aid  is  given,  however, 
the  angel  seems  to  pause  a  moment  to  sympathize.  The  pathos  is  exquisite.  It  overmasters 
you.  I  have  rarely  seen  a  marble  that  so  conquered  me.  Statues  are  usually  so  cold,  so  icy. 
This  has  warmth  that  is  too  deep  for  tears. 


174 


In  Brightest  Asia. 


We  took  a  Sabbath  day's  journey  through  Bethphage,  over  Olivet  to  Bethany.  The  people 
living  there  are  a  wretched  sort;  but  the  sight  of  the  place,  on  the  southward  sunny  slope  of  the 
mountains,  is  very  pretty  and  winsome.  As  a  suburb  of  Jerusalem,  it  is  so  retired  and  yet  so 
conveniently  near,  I  could  readily  see  how  Jesus  might  often  seek  its  hospitable  sympathy  and 
restful  retreat.  The  almond  trees  were  in  blossom  close  by  the  ruins  of  the  traditional  house  of 
Simon.  The  bustling  woman  drawing  water  at  the  well,  might  have  been  Martha  herself ;  and 
the  woman  with  the  soft,  tender  eyes,  decidedly  pretty,  who  stood  at  a  door  near  by  with  a 
kindly  and  a  bunch  of  keys  in  her  hand,  might  have  been  Mary,  had  the  scene  not 

been  suddenly  spoiled  by  the  words  "  backsheesh,"  which  reminded  me  that  the  Arab  is  still 
in  the  land.    The  tomb  in  the  rocks  which  they  show  you  as  that  of  Lazarus,  might  be  authentic. 

We  drove  to  Solomon's  Pools,  twelve  miles  out  on  the  road  to  Hebron,  and  returning  we 
stopped  at 

Betl?lel?em. 

Bethlehem  is  the  loveliest  place  in  Palestine  I  have  yet  seen.  The  place  is  much  modernized. 
It  has  schools  and  missions,  that  lift  it  up  much  beyond  the  ordinary.  The  children  are  singu- 
larly clean  and  pretty,  and  everywhere  greeted  us  with  sweet  smiles. 

We  peered  into  the  well  of  David  by  the  gate.  We  visited  the  Church  of  the  Nativity,  and 
especially  the  crypt  beneath  it  where,  beyond  any  reasonable  question,  our  Lord  had  His  lowly 
human  birth.  There  is  an  awe  about  the  place  that  I  have  not  felt  elsewhere.  I  did  not  much 
wonder  that  the  woman  we  saw  passing  through  the  place  knelt  and  kissed  the  very  stones 
beneath  the  thirteen  little  lamps,  which  are  always  burning  overhead. 

Ascending  to  the  flat  roof  above,  we  looked  out  over  the  historic  plain  where,  ages  ago, 
Ruth  gleaned  and  Boaz  loved,  and  David  watched  his  flocks  and  thrummed  his  lyre  ;  where  other 
shepherds  later  tended  flocks,  as  they  do  still :  where  angelic  choirs  visited  our  earth,  and  their 
chief  spake  to  mortal  simple  men,  and  directed  them  to  the  spot  where  they  should  find  their 
infant  Lord.  I  do  not  wonder  that  angels  chose  that  spot  for  the  sublime  and  yet  tender 
annunciation. 

The  fields,  as  we  saw  them,  were  green  as  emerald  with  the  springing  corn ;  patches  of  olive 
trees  embossed  it.  "The  Tower  of  the  Flock  "  standing  amid  the  fields  marks  the  place  as 
monumental.  Tlie  hillsides  all  about,  terraced  to  their  summits  for  the  myriad  grape  vines, 
lying  golden  to  the  sunlight,  give  the  scene  an  imperial  cast. 

Just  through  the  dip  in  the  hills  yonder  on  the  eastern  side,  I  get  a  peep  of  the  Dead  Sea 
glistening  in  the  morning  sun  ;  and  still  beyond,  the  purple  Moab  hills  loom  loftily,  like  a  dark 
background  of  the  law  beyond  the  gospel.    Thank  God,  however,  the  gospel  prevails  ! 

It  requires  no  stretch  of  fancy  to  hear  again  the  angels  sing  over  a  spot  like  that,  especially 
with  nineteen  centuries  of  the  gospel  triumph  behind  one,  having  witnessed  its  modern  achieve- 
ments clear  round  the  earth,  besides  having  all  the  notes  in  one's  own  soul. 


///  Bil>Ic  Latids. 


'75 


March  6. 

We  came  on  thus  far  last  night,  thirty  miles  towards  JafFa,  preparatory  to  sailing  to-day;  so 
I  finish  from  here,  speaking  only  of  the  ride  hither. 

C'.oing  up  to  Jerusalem  a  week  ago,  we  rode  the  entire  distance  in  the  rain.  .Still,  the  road 
was  interesting,  altliough  under  such  conditions.  Returning  we  came  under  the  full  glow  of  an 
afternoon  sun  ;  and  the  beauty  of  even  the  barren  hill  tops,  to  say  nothing  of  the  green,  green 
valleys,  vocal  with  the  murmur  of  mountain  brooks,  was  excjuisite. 

Leaving  the  Holy  City  from  the  Jaffa  gate,  on  the  high  northwest  side,  we  were  2,500  feet 
above  the  sea.  Passing  out  on  the  magnificent  mountain  carriage  road,  now  completed,  we  first 
see  a  much  loftier  mountain  away  northward,  —  Neby  Samuel,  where  the  prophet  was  entombed. 
A  little  farther  down,  we  come  to  iMephtoah  —  a  village  named  in  the  Hook  of  Josliua,  marking 
the  border  line  between  Judah  and  Benjamin.  An  hour  more,  and  we  pass  Emmaus,  lying 
ruined  on  the  right-hand  slope.  A  little  later,  and  we  enter  the  reputed  vale  of  Elali,  and  cross 
the  brook  from  which  David  took  the  stones  with  which  to  slay  Goliath.  The  vale  lies  between 
two  lofty  mountains,  on  the  sides  of  which,  possibly,  the  two  armies  were  encamped.  Later,  we 
pass  the  ancient  house  of  Obed  Edom,  and  in  a  few  minutes  more  Kirjath  Jearim,  from  whence 
the  ark  was  taken  to  Jerusalem. 

Considerable  Syrian  villages,  built  of  rich  yellow  well-hewn  limestone,  are  on  all  these  spots. 
Trains  of  camels  entering  or  emerging  from  all  these  villages  meet  us  on  the  road,  loaded  with 
olive  oil,  vegetables,  charcoal  and  what  not.  Two  hours  more  down,  down,  the  steep,  winding  and 
picturesque  descent,  increasingly  beautiful  with  flowers,  as  we  approach  the  broad  plain  of 
Sharon,  and  we  spy  southward,  through  an  opening  in  the  hills,  the  ancient  fortified  stronghold 
of  the  Maccabees. 

An  hour  more,  and  the  town  of  John  the  Baptist's  birth  v?),  now  modernized,  with  French 
schools,  etc.,  and  ever  beautiful,  appears.  Farther  down,  we  get  a  peep  into  the  valley  of  Ajalon  ; 
and  yonder,  northward,  between  two  mountain  horns,  we  spy  the  pass  of  Beth-Horon,  where 
Joshua  took  his  stand  in  perhaps  the  most  decisive  battle  in  human  history.  Take  that  victory 
out,  and  there  would  have  been  no  history  of  the  Jews. 

Now  we  are  upon  the  great  plain,  —  one  vast  wheat-field  ;  and  yet  northward  again  those  bald 
elevations,  that  seem  loth  to  part  with  us,  mark  the  camping-place  of  Richard  Cceur  de  Lion, 
on  his  crusade  to  gain  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  Oh  !  there  is  here  a  romance,  nay,  a  divinitv  of 
charm,  that  holds  you  with  a  spell  from  the  moment  when,  approaching  from  the  sea,  you  sight 
the  mount  on  which  Jaffa  lies,  till  you  leave  the  land. 

A  grand  climax  it  has  made  of  my  delightful  round,  and  confirms  the  conviction,  strong 
in  me  before,  that  the  work  of  giving  the  gospel,  which  was  here  incarnated,  to  all  the  nations,  is 
the  very  lowest  aim  that  a  redeemed  mortal  should  set  before  him.  There  is  something  grander 
than  a  crusade  to  regain  the  sepulchre  even  of  our  Lord;  viz.,  a  systematic  eiTort  to  proclaim 
among  all  peoples  the  risen  power  of  Him  who  emptied  that  sepulchre,  both  for  himself  and  for 
those  who  in  all  lands  believe  on  His  name.    This,  this  is  the  true  crusade! 


MISSIONARY  BOOKS 


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is  published  monthly  by  the  Executive  Committee,  by  order  of  the  Board  of  Mana- 
gers of  the  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union. 

Its  aim  is  to  give,  in  a  condensed  form,  a  summary  of  the  missionary  news  of 
each  month. 

Terms  :  Single  copies,  ten  cents  a  year.  Clubs  of  twenty  and  more,  to  the 
address  of  one  person^  fiv'e  cents  a  copy  per  annum.  Address  "The  Kingdom," 
Missionary  Rooms,  Tremont  Temple,  Boston,  Mass. 


The  Baptist  Missionary  Magazine. 

The  Only  Organ  of  tlie  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union. 


NOTICE   CAREFULLY   THE   SIX  DEPARTMENTS. 


1.  EDITORIAL. —  In  this  (lci)ai-tment  will  be  found  items  of  special  importance  relating  to  the 
work  of  the  Missionary  Union,  brief  comments  on  current  events  in  missions,  and  also  articles  on  matters 
of  general  missionary  interest. 

2.  GENERAL  ARTICLES.  —  These  will  be  chiefly  original,  contributed  largely  by  our  mission- 
aries on  the  various  fields,  and  by  our  ablest  writers  at  home;  but  in  order  to  give  a  wide  survey  of 
missionary  principles  and  work,  judicious  selections  will  be  made  from  other  publications,  on  topics  not 
fully  covered  by  the  contributions  to  the  Magazine. 

3.  MISSIONARY  CORRESPONDENCE  will  contain  ktters  from  our  missionaries  on  the 
various  fields,  giving  such  views  of  their  work  and  experiences  as  will  be  interesting  and  important  to  those 
who  stay  at  home  to  "  hold  the  ropes." 

4.  MISSIONARY  OUTLOOK  consists  of  short  selections  upon  important  points  relating  to 
missionary  work  everywhere,  and  the  progress  of  Christianity  throughout  the  world. 

5.  MISSIONARY  NEWS  gives,  under  appropriate  geographical  heads,  the  most  important  and 
freshest  items  of  missionary  intelligence  from  all  missionary  lands,  gathered  from  a  careful  reading  of  a 
wide  range  of  missionary  periodicals. 

6.  DONATIONS.  —  Tn  this  department  the  donations  and  legacies  to  the  Missionary  Union  are 
acknowledged  in  detail  for  each  month  in  the  year. 


TERMS. — Single  Subscriptions,  $1.00  per  year.  Ten  copies  or  upwards,  or  clubs  equal  to  5 
per  cent  of  the  church  membership,  80  cents  each.  Clubs  equal  to  10  per  cent  of  the  church  membership, 
70  cents  each.    Copies  sent  to  each  individual  address  if  desired. 

THE  JULY  NUMBER  of  the  Magazine  contains  the  Proceedings  of  the  Annual  Meetings 
and  the  Annual  Report  of  the  Union  in  full. 

All  who  are  interested  in  our  foreign  misiions,  and  want  to  keep  informed  in  regard  to  them, 
should  take  the  Magazine. 


Address  BAPTIST  MISSIONARY  MAGAZINE, 


TREMONT  TEMPLE,  BOSTON. 


Date  Due 


PRINTED 

IN  U.  S.  A. 

